Honda said today it will build a new factory in China, as the Japanese automaker expands its reach into the world's biggest vehicle market.
	The firm, which already has several factories in China, would build its new plant in the city of Wuhan, a Tokyo-based company spokeswoman said, without supplying further details.
	The factory will start operating in 2019, the leading Nikkei business daily said.
	The plant will be able to produce 120,000 vehicles a year in the beginning, eventually doubling to 240,000 units, according to the report.
	That would be roughly a 20 per cent boost from Honda's current China factory capacity of 1.08 million units, excluding facilities solely for exports, the Nikkei story said.
	Honda has three plants in southern Guangzhou and two in Wuhan, in addition to a factory dedicated to exports mainly to the Middle East, Russia and Africa.
	Last year, Honda said it would delay building a planned USD 822 million plant in Wuhan owing to an industry wide ...

Honda to build new China factory

PTI Automatic

The UN hailed an announcement today that Russian and Syrian air forces have stopped bombing Aleppo, but said it was waiting for safety assurances from all sides before going in with aid.
	   "We remain of course pleased if there is a reduction in fighting ... Because it will protect civilians," Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency, told reporters.
	   But he stressed that "when the weapons fall silent, we need all weapons to fall silent," before "critical humanitarian assistance can be provided to the area and the sick and the wounded can be evacuated."
	   "We need to have assurances from all parties to the conflict. Not just a unilateral announcement that this will happen," he said, without revealing if the UN had received security assurances from any of the sides in the conflict.
	   Laerke's comments came after the Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Russian and Syrian air forces had stopped bombing Aleppo as of 0700 GMT, in a move he said was ...

UN says will not enter Aleppo until safety assurances

At least 20 people have been killed in three days of clashes between Pygmy and Bantu people in Kabalo, in southeast DR Congo, local MP Kalunga Mawazo said today.
	The fighting between Sunday and Tuesday was triggered by a dispute over the caterpillar harvest, a common food staple in the Tanganyika region in northern Katanga.

20 dead in clashes in DR Congo's Katanga

YouTube has signed up the world's highest paid actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Doug Liman, the director of "The Bourne Identity", to make shows for its subscription service, it said.
	The Google-owned video giant said that former wrestler Johnson, who shot to fame in "The Fast and the Furious" films, will produce a series called "Lifeline" about an insurance company that sends its agents 33 days forward in time to prevent the deaths of its customers.
	Liman, who also directed "Mr and Mrs Smith", will use young stars spotted on YouTube for his show "Impulse" about a young girl who discovers she can teleport herself.
	Both shows will air on its pay service YouTube Red.
	YouTube's content chief Susanne Daniels told MIPCOM, the world's biggest entertainment convention held in the French resort of Cannes, that it was using data from its more than a billion viewers to give them what they want.
	"Our thesis is simple. Identify YouTube's most engaging stars and top genres, and invest in ..

YouTube signs up 'The Rock' for new pay channel

Venezuela's Supreme Court has raised another obstacle to an opposition drive for a referendum on recalling leftist President Nicolas Maduro, who is blamed for a deepening economic and political crisis.
	Proponents of a recall already faced a high hurdle: they must collect signatures from 20 per cent of the electorate -- or about four million voters -- over a three-day period from October 26 to 28.
	But in a ruling yesterday the Supreme Court raised the bar even higher by making it 20 per cent of the electorate in each of the country's 24 states in order to force a recall vote.
	"The failure to collect that percentage in any of the states or the capital district would nullify the validity of a presidential recall referendum," the court said.
	Maduro's popularity has plummeted as his oil-rich country has spiralled into chaos, with the economy now in its third year of a deep recession, exacerbated by the plunge in world oil prices.
	Inflation is expected to top 700 per cent this year, ...

Venezuela court raises new obstacle to recall vote

Saudi police have arrested a man on public order charges after he was accused of cross-dressing online, a report in the conservative Islamic kingdom said.
	Police in Qassim, northwest of the capital Riyadh, "arrested a famous Snapchat personality who appeared in video clips dressed like women," the Sabq online newspaper reported late yesterday.
	The publication, which is close to authorities, quoted the Qassim police spokesman as saying the suspect was detained "for producing and distributing material insulting to public order."
	Sabq did not identify the suspect but said citizens had complained about his dressing "inappropriately."
	In April, the government stripped the kingdom's frequently criticised religious police of the power of arrest but strict moral codes remain in effect.
	Members of the Haia force, among whose duties was to monitor people's dress, can now only offer advice and report suspected violators to regular police for prosecution.
	In June, police in the Muslim holy .

Saudi police arrest 'online cross-dresser': report

A veteran North Korean diplomat reportedly purged over the recent defection of the deputy ambassador to Britain has appeared in public - albeit without his former job title.
	South Korea's mass-circulation JoongAng Ilbo reported last week that vice foreign minister Kung Sok-Ung had been dismissed and expelled from Pyongyang to a rural farming area with his family.
	But on Sunday the North's official KCNA news agency noted Kung's presence at a football match in the capital.
	The KCNA report referred to him as the "former vice minister", confirming he was no longer in his original post but suggesting he may have just retired.
	The Chosun Ilbo newspaper in Seoul quoted a source as saying that Kung's daughter was still living in Pyongyang and acting as a guide for foreign visitors.
	As the vice foreign minister, Kung, 72, had special responsibility for European affairs. His dossier  fuelled speculation he might have been punished for the defection two months ago of the North's deputy ...

'Purged' N Korean diplomat appears in public

Dozens of Japanese lawmakers visited a controversial war shrine today, in an annual pilgrimage that drew an angry response from Seoul which sees it as a painful reminder of Tokyo's warring past.
	The group of about 85 politicians arrived at the leafy Yasukuni shrine in downtown Tokyo during a four-day autumn festival.
	Led by priests, the dark-suited lawmakers entered the main shrine building to pray for Japan's war dead as they bowed at the threshold.
	The visit comes a day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - often criticised for what some see as a revisionist take on Japan's wartime record - sent an offering to the shrine, but avoided a visit.
	Yasukuni honours millions of Japanese war dead, but also senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes after World War II.
	The indigenous Shinto religious shrine has for decades been a flashpoint for criticism by countries that suffered from Japan's colonialism and aggression in the first half of the 20th century, including ...

Dozens of Japan lawmakers visit controversial war shrine

Thais should "socially sanction" those accused of defaming the monarchy following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the junta's justice minister said today, as he vowed to hunt down critics both at home and overseas.
	The death of the world's longest reigning monarch on Thursday has left the nation bereft of its key pillar of unity and seen mass outpourings of grief from black-clad Thais.
	But it has also unleashed ultra-monarchist forces, including mobs and online crusaders scouring the web bent on punishing anyone perceived to have insulted the monarchy.
	"There is no better way to punish these people than to socially sanction them," justice minister Paiboon Koomchaya told reporters today, as he vowed to "pursue those people who violate the law".
	His message comes amid a growing number of cases of vigilantism meted out by royalist Thais on people accused of having insulted the monarchy.
	On Sunday a woman on Samui island was forced by police to kneel below a portrait of King ...

Thai minister urges 'social sanctions' for royal critics

Former fast bowler Jason Gillespie said today he could put his hand up to succeed Rod Marsh on the Australian cricket team's board of selectors.
     Chief selector Marsh is set to step down when his contract runs out in mid-2017, and Gillespie said he was "open to offers" after leaving English county side Yorkshire.
     "There is a national selectors' job up next year and I might put my name up for that," he told the Adelaide Advertiser.
     "All I have done the last five years is select teams for Yorkshire. In county cricket you are always selecting teams. The buck stops with you. I wouldn't rule anything out."
     Australia's current four-man selection panel consists of Marsh, Mark Waugh, Trevor Hohns, and Australia coach Darren Lehmann.
     Gillespie is now back in Australia for family reasons and will coach the Adelaide Strikers in the summer's Big Bash League after a hugely successful five-year spell at Headingley.
     He was strongly linked with England's vacant head coach 

Gillespie eyes Australian selectors' job

Rival captains Misbah-ul-Haq and Jason Holder praised the fight till last attitude in the first day-night Test played with Pakistan upstaging West Indies by 56 runs in the final hour on Monday.
     West Indies were led in their fight by Darren Bravo who smashed 116 during his 410-minute of defiance before Pakistan dismissed them for 289 with just 12 overs remaining in the match -- the second ever in Test cricket's history.
     Misbah said the match was good for Test cricket.
     "It was a good Test and good for the Test cricket with everything in it," said Misbah after the victory. "You need Test matches like that and credit to West Indies to put such a fight."
     Pakistan had amassed 579-3 declared in their first innings courtesy an epic 302 not out by opener Azhar Ali.
     West Indies conceded a 222-run first innings lead but hit back hard by dismissing Pakistan for a paltry 123 in their second knock, thanks to a career best 8-49 by leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo.
     Misbah ...

Misbah, Holder hail competitive day-night Test

Complete scoreboard of the first
day-night Test between Pakistan and West Indies at Dubai stadium:
     Pakistan Ist innings 579-3 declared
     West Indies 1st innings 357
     Pakistan 2nd innings 123
     West Indies 2nd innings (overnight 95-2)
     K. Brathwaite b Amir                       6
     L. Johnson lbw b Amir                     47
     D. Bravo c and b Shah                    116
     M. Samuels c Ahmed b Amir                  4
     J. Blackwood lbw b Nawaz                  15
     R. Chase b Shah                           35
     S. Dowrich b Riaz                          0
     J. Holder not out                         40
     D. Bishoo lbw Nawaz                        3
     M. Cummins run out                         1
     S. Gabriel run out                         1
     Extras: (b5, lb7, nb4, w5)                21
     Total: (all out; 109 overs)              289
     Fall of wicket: 1-27 (Brathwaite), 2-87 (Johnson), 3-95 (Samuels), 4-116 (Blackwood), 5-193 ...

Dubai, Oct 18 (AFP) Complete scoreboard of the first

Despite a fighting hundred by Darren Bravo Pakistan pulled off a tension-packed 56-run victory against West Indies in the first day-night Test in Dubai on Monday.
     Bravo kept Pakistan's victory bid on hold during his resistance-filled 410-minute long 116 and it needed leg-spinner Yasir Shah to make a stunning two-handed catch to end his innings.
     West Indies were finally bowled for 289 with just 12 over left in the match.
     Bravo lingered on his haunches at the crease for a minute before trudging back to the pavilion, disappointed at his dismissal after bringing so close a draw or an upset win.
     Bravo's eighth Test hundred spiced with ten boundaries and a six had brought West Indies within 83 runs of victory and 27 ovesr to bat for a draw after they were set a daunting 346 runs to win.
     Left-armer Mohammad Nawaz trapped Devendra Bishoo while Miguel Cummins and last man Shannon Gabriel were run out to spark a celebration amongst Pakistan players.
     Paceman ...

Pakistan clinch day-night Test despite Bravo's hundred

Arch rivals Liverpool and Manchester United failed to spark as England's two most successful clubs played out a forgettable 0-0 draw in the Premier League on Monday.
     Victory would have lifted Jurgen Klopp's in-form Liverpool level with leaders Manchester City and Arsenal, but they remain fourth after seeing a five-game winning streak come to an end at Anfield.
     Liverpool came closest to winning, United goalkeeper David de Gea thwarting Emre Can and Philippe Coutinho, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic spurned the visitors' best chance with a weak header.
     "They didn't create chances, maybe two in the second half, and De Gea made two or three great saves, but in the end our performance was not what it should be," said Liverpool manager Klopp.
     "We weren't calm enough. That is not the way we want to play, but I accept it. We got a point. There are worse things in the world."
     Klopp could console himself with a first clean sheet in 10 league games, but it was the first time ...

De Gea defiant as Man Utd stifle Liverpool

A retired top US general pleaded guilty of making a false statement during an FBI probe into a classified intelligence leak about a cyberattack against Iran's nuclear program in 2010.
	Marine Corps General James Cartwright, 67, formerly the vice chairman to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was accused of lying to investigators when he said yesterday that he had not confirmed classified information to New York Times journalist David Sanger.
	Sanger wrote a book describing a joint US and Israeli operation that deployed a virus called "Stuxnet" that reportedly destroyed or damaged centrifuges being used by Iran to enrich uranium in 2010.
	The malicious code reportedly dealt Iran's disputed nuclear program a serious blow.
	"After investigators showed Cartwright a list of quotes and statements from David Sanger's book, a number of which contained classified information, Cartwright falsely told investigators that he was not the source," prosecutors said on a charge sheet.
	Prosecutors also said ..

Retired US general pleads guilty to lying in Iran probe

The UN Security Council has strongly condemned North Korea after a failed missile launch, threatening further measures against Pyongyang.
	North Korea tested a medium-range Musudan missile on Saturday, the latest in series of launches in defiance of UN resolutions. The rocket exploded soon after lift-off.
	In a unanimous statement yesterday backed by China, Pyongyang's ally, the council "strongly condemned the most recent failed ballistic missile launch," branding it a "grave violation" of North Korea's international obligations.
	Council members agreed to "closely monitor the situation and take further significant measures," the statement said.
	The United States and China are drafting a new sanctions resolution that the Security Council agreed last month to pursue after Pyongyang carried out its fifth and most powerful nuclear test to date.
	North Korea has been hit by five sets of UN sanctions since it first tested a nuclear device in 2006.
	After Pyongyang carried out its fourth ..

UN Security Council condemns N Korea failed missile launch

Peru is investigating what killed some 10,000 Titicaca water frogs, a critically endangered species affectionately known as the "scrotum frog," in a river that is feared to be polluted, authorities have said.
	Hundreds of the large, wrinkly green frogs have been found floating on the surface of the Coata river in southern Peru in recent days, prompting the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (Serfor) to launch an investigation.
	"Based on local residents' statements and samples taken in the days after the incident, it is believed that more than 10,000 frogs were affected over about 50 kilometers (30 miles)," Serfor said in a statement yesterday.
	The alert was sounded by an environmental group called the Committee Against the Pollution of the Coata River, which accused the authorities of ignoring the river's severe pollution.
	To protest, its supporters brought 100 of the dead frogs to the central square in the regional capital, Puno.
	Protest leader Maruja Inquilla urged the ...

10,000 endangered frogs die in Peru

Complete scoreboard on the fifth and final day of the first day-night Test between Pakistan and West Indies at Dubai stadium today:
	Pakistan Ist innings 579-3 declared (Azhar Ali 302 not out, Sami Aslam 90, Babar Azam 69, Asad Shafiq 67)
	West Indies 1st innings 357 (D. Bravo 87, M. Samuels 76; Yasir Shah 5-121)
	Pakistan 2nd innings 123 (Sami Aslam 44: D. Bishoo 8-49)
	West Indies 2nd innings (overnight 95-2)
	K. Brathwaite b Amir                       6
	L. Johnson lbw b Amir                     47
	D. Bravo c and b Shah                    116
	M. Samuels c Ahmed b Amir                  4
	J. Blackwood lbw b Nawaz                  15
	R. Chase b Shah                           35
	S. Dowrich b Riaz                          0
	J. Holder not out                         40
	D. Bishoo lbw Nawaz                        3
	M. Cummins run out                         1
	S.

Cricket: Pakistan vs West Indies first Test scoreboard - 2nd

Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi has agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire that could be extended, the war-torn country's foreign minister said today, a day after international calls for a truce.
	"The President agreed to a 72 hrs ceasefire to be extended if the other party adheres to it", activates a truce observing committee and ends the siege of second city Taez, Abdulmalek al-Mekhlafi wrote on Twitter.

Yemen president agrees to 72-hour truce: FM

Pakistan beat West Indies by 56 runs in the first day-night Test on the fifth and final day in Dubai today, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
	Darren Bravo defied Pakistan until the last hour of play with a fighting 116 and it needed a brilliant leaping catch by leg-spinner Yasir Shah to dismiss him after a 410-minute vigil.
	Shah finished with 2-113, seven wickets in the match to dismiss West Indies for 289 in their second innings after resuming at 95-2. Mohammad Amir took 3-63.
	Pakistan had made 579-3 declared in their first innings with Azhar Ali knocking an epic 302 not out.
	The remaining two Tests will be played in Abu Dhabi (October 21-25) and Sharjah (October 30-November 3).

Cricket: Pakistan beat West Indies in first day-night Test

UNESCO chief Irina Bokova has received "death threats" after expressing reservations about Arab-backed resolutions on the holy sites in Jerusalem, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations organisation said on today.
	"The director general has received death threats and her protection has had to be reinforced," Carmel Shama Cohen said on Israeli public radio.
	"These threats were made after her criticism" of two resolutions adopted last week at committee stage ahead of a final vote, Cohen said, accusing Arab countries of "appalling conduct" over the drafts.
	Bokova distanced herself from the resolutions in a statement, saying "nowhere more than in Jerusalem do Jewish, Christian and Muslim heritage and traditions share space".
	The resolutions refer to "Occupied Palestine" and the need to "safeguard the Palestinian cultural heritage and the distinctive character of east Jerusalem".
	They refer to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in east Jerusalem's Old City -- Islam's third holiest site -- .

AFP

AFP

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