Police were searching at least a dozen schools across Germany after they received threats by email today, although officials said they didn't believe the messages constituted a serious danger.
	Nine schools in the eastern city of Leipzig were emailed threats, a police spokesman said, without giving details of the content of the messages.
	Investigators were searching the premises while students and teachers were told not to leave the site, he said.
	Schools in the western city of Goettingen as well as the eastern city of Magdeburg also reported receiving similar messages.
	The investigation suggests however that the "threats are not serious," the police spokesman said.

Police search German schools after email threats

PTI Automatic

Several people were missing and others were injured after an explosion today at a chemical plant at BASF's headquarters in western Germany, the firm said, advising local people to stay indoors.
	"There was an explosion with several people injured for as-yet undetermined reasons at around 11:30 (local time) at BASF Ludwigshafen," it said in a press release.
	"Emergency services from the whole region are on the scene to prevent the fire spreading to other parts of the plant," Ludwigshafen city authorities said in a statement.
	The company said local residents should remain inside and shut doors and windows.
	"We are still investigating the precise cause. The relevant authorities have been informed," BASF said.
	Ludwigshafen is located around 80 kilometres (50 miles) southwest of Frankfurt.

Several missing, injured in explosion at BASF plant in Germany

A suicide car bomb explosion targeting an Iraqi army checkpoint south of Baghdad today killed at least 10 people, security and medical sources said.
	The blast in Yusufiya, a frequently targeted area just south of the capital, also left at least 17 people wounded, an interior ministry official said.
	A medic at the nearby Mahmudiyah hospital said at least four soldiers were among those killed in the blast.
	It came just hours after Iraqi forces launched an offensive to retake second city Mosul, in the north of the country, from the Islamic State group.
	Observers had warned that IS might seek to attack civilians in Baghdad and elsewhere as Iraqi forces launch their bid to wrest back the jihadists' last major stronghold in the country.
	IS has not yet claimed responsibility for the Yusufiya bombing but has perpetrated nearly all such attacks recently.
	An attack on a funeral tent in Baghdad on Saturday killed at least 36 people. Another two people were killed in a blast in the capital .

Suicide car bomb blast kills 10 south of Baghdad

Several missing, injured in explosion at BASF plant in

Wayward tennis star Nick Kyrgios will seek psychological help to avoid an eight week ban ordered by the ATP for a tantrum at the Shanghai Masters, Tennis Australia said today.
     The ATP ordered a USD 25,000 (22,700 euros) fine and said a three-week ban would be increased to eight weeks if the 21-year-old Kyrgios did not seek help for his temper.
     The world number 14 gave away points and swore and argued with fans before being booed off court after his 6-3, 6-1 defeat by Mischa Zverev in his second round match last week.
     Tennis Australia said in a statement that it would support Kyrgios.
     "Nick's health and wellbeing is a priority and the ATP has offered a reduced penalty on the provision that he seeks appropriate professional advice, which he has agreed to do," said a statement by the Australian body.
     Kyrgios apologised again for his behaviour in Shanghai.
     "The season has been a long one as I battled several injuries and other challenges towards the end of ...

Kyrgios to seek psychologist help after ban threat

An anti-nuclear candidate pulled off a surprise victory in a local Japanese election at the weekend, hurting Tokyo's already struggling bid to restart shuttered reactors more than five years after Fukushima.
	First-time politician Ryuichi Yoneyama, 49, had campaigned on a pledge to stop the refiring of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power station, the world's biggest nuclear plant, about 200 kilometres (130 miles) northwest of Tokyo.
	Yoneyama won the race late Sunday to become Niigata prefecture's new governor, in the latest challenge for the energy policy of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who called the election results "extremely regrettable".
	Shares in Fukushima operator Tokyo Electric Power - which also runs Kashiwazaki-Kariwa - tumbled nearly eight per cent to 385 yen in Tokyo on the election news.
	There are seven reactors across the 4.2 million square metre (45 million square feet) Kashiwazaki-Kariwa site.
	"I can't approve (restarting reactors) in the current situation where the lives ..

Anti-nuclear politician's win hurts Japan atomic push

Ethiopia has banned access to foreign-based opposition media and restricted foreign diplomats' travel, in new provisions of a state of emergency.
	The government declared the six-month state of emergency eight days ago, stepping up its response to an unprecedented wave of protests against its authoritarian rule which has left hundreds dead.
	New restrictions published in local media on Sunday also include a 50-kilometre (30-mile) "red zone" adjacent to the country's borders in which it is illegal to carry firearms. The areas around several key roads have also been declared red zones.
	Foreign diplomats are forbidden from travelling more than 40 kilometres outside the capital, Addis Ababa, "for their own security".
	"This is a state of emergency and we expect repressive measures," a western diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity today.
	"But we also expect an opening of the political space for the opposition as stated by the president in front of the parliament. This is not what ..

Ethiopia limits diplomats' movements, media access

Searchers have recovered 25 bodies from a ferry that sank in central Myanmar and expect to find scores more corpses as workers begin raising the boat from the riverbed, officials said today.
	A total of 154 people have been rescued since the boat sank early Saturday on the Chindwin River about 72 kilometres (45 miles) north of the city of Monywa.
	Search teams scouring the river, who are now securing the boat with ropes so it can be hauled out by a crane, fear the death toll could go as high as 100.
	"Now we have found 25 dead bodies but we are still trying to lift the boat out," said Sa Willy Frient, the director of the local relief and resettlement department who is overseeing the operation.
	Earlier he told AFP the ferry had been filled with "mainly university students and schoolteachers" when it sank at around 5:00 am on Saturday.
	"I think around 70 or 80 university students and about 30 schoolteachers, and also doctors," he added.
	The boat was carrying an estimated 240-250 ...

25 dead, scores still missing in Myanmar ferry disaster

Air strikes killed at least 12 civilians in Syria's Aleppo today, a monitor said, bringing to 45 the number killed in 24 hours of bombardment on the battleground city.
	The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said five children were among the dead today in the rebel-held district of Marjeh in east Aleppo.
	Dozens more people were wounded or still trapped under rubble.
	Of the 45 civilians killed, the highest number of dead were in Qaterji, where Russian raids claimed 17 lives overnight, said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.
	An AFP correspondent in the eastern districts said White Helmets rescuers were still working Monday morning to pull about 20 people out of the rubble in Qaterji.
	One civil defence volunteer said they had been unable to complete rescue missions overnight in fear of further air strikes by warplanes circling above.
	Both Russian and Syrian warplanes are carrying out air strikes over Aleppo in support of a major offensive by regime forces to capture .

Air raids kill at least 12 civilians in Syria's Aleppo:monitor

China's growth slipped to a seven-year low of 6.6 per cent in the third quarter, according to a survey, despite ample stimulus and a red-hot property market in the world's second-largest economy.
	The median forecast for expansion in gross domestic product (GDP), based on a poll of 18 economists, represents an easing from the second quarter's 6.7 per cent.
	It would be the slowest quarterly growth since the first three months of 2009, in the middle of the global financial crisis.
	As the world's biggest trader in goods China is crucial to the global economy and its performance affects partners from Australia to Zambia.
	GDP expanded 6.9 per cent in 2015 -- its weakest in a quarter of a century -- and the government has targeted growth in a range of 6.5-7.0 per cent for this year.
	The AFP poll forecast China will just meet the goal, with the median full-year prediction at 6.6 per cent.
	"Our expectation is that growth will continue to slow. The largest headwind on the horizon is the ..

China's third-quarter growth falls to 6.6 per cent: poll

An unidentified man today blew himself up at the state-owned TV centre in Abkhazia, a tiny Moscow-backed breakaway region of Georgia, a local official said.
	"A man blew himself up on the territory of the TV centre. It was obviously clear that he had a bomb," Russian news agency RIA Novosti quoted Abkhaz interior minister Aslan Kobakhiya as saying.

Man blows himself up at Abkhazia television centre: media

A top court in Bahrain today overturned a nine-year jail term against Shiite opposition chief cleric Ali Salman, convicted of inciting hatred and calling for forceful regime change.
	The court of the cassation ordered a retrial of the head of the Al-Wefaq political formation before the appeals court, said a judicial source in the Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom.
	Salman had been sentenced in July 2015 to four years in jail after being convicted of inciting hatred in the Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom.
	But the appeals court in May more than doubled his jail term to nine years after reversing an earlier acquittal on charges of calling for regime change by force.
	Salman's arrest in December 2014 sparked protests in Shiite-majority Bahrain.
	The cassation court had rejected a request to release the cleric earlier this month.
	His jail sentence is part of a crackdown on the Gulf nation's largest opposition group, which has been dissolved by a court order over accusations of "harbouring ...

Bahrain court overturns jail term of opposition chief

A strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea today, officials said, but no Pacific-wide tsunami warning was issued with little damage expected due to the remote location.
	The tremor was estimated at a depth of 35 kilometres on New Britain island, 418 kilometres northeast of the capital Port Moresby, the United States Geological Survey said.
	The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center ruled out a widespread tsunami.
	"Based on all available data, there is no tsunami threat from this earthquake," it said.
	Australian seismologists estimated the quake at 6.8-magnitude and said damage was highly unlikely with few inhabitants in the area.
	"Luckily it is a very, very remote part of New Britain," Geoscience Australia duty seismologist Dan Jaksa told AFP.
	"It's highly unlikely there is any damage given the remoteness."
	New Britain, the largest island of the Bismarck Archipelago, is east of mainland New Guinea and has a population of around 500,000 people.
	It lies on 

6.9-magnitude quake hits off PNG: USGS

Iraqi forces have launched a campaign to retake Mosul, the self-declared capital of the Islamic State, the prime minister said today in what the US hailed as a "decisive moment" in the battle to crush the jihadist group.
	Up to 1.5 million civilians remain in the city, the United Nations said, voicing fears the vastly outnumbered Islamists could use them as human shields as they seek to repel the assault on its last major stronghold in the country.
	"Today I declare the start of these victorious operations to free you from the violence and terrorism of Daesh," Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a televised address, using an alternative name for the IS group.
	Mosul fell to IS fighters two years ago as they marched through Iraq and Syria, where the civil war left a power vacuum that they easily exploited.
	Its recapture would shatter the group's claim to be running a "caliphate" and would all but end its presence in Iraq as a land-holding force.
	That claim received another ..

Iraq forces launch battle to liberate Mosul from IS

Rescuers have discovered 14 bodies and expect to find scores more after a ferry packed with teachers, students and workers capsized in central Myanmar, local authorities said today.
	A total of 154 people have been rescued since the boat sank early Saturday morning about 72 kilometres north of the city of Monywa.
	Search teams scouring the Chindwin River have located the sunken vessel, but fear the death toll could reach as high as 100.
	"So far we have found 14 dead bodies from the river, but we still need to identify them," director of the local relief and resettlement department, Sa Willy Frient, told AFP.
	"It was mainly university students and school teachers on the ferry that day," he said, adding: "I think around 70 or 80 university students and about 30 school teachers, and also doctors."
	He estimated the boat was carrying 240-250 people, around 100 more than it is meant to carry.
	Monywa is about 100 kilometres from Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city.
	Boat accidents ...

14 dead, scores missing in Myanmar ferry disaster: official

US superstar Serena Williams has withdrawn from the elite WTA Finals in Singapore, saying she's still working to recover from the shoulder troubles that hindered her in 2016.
     The WTA announced Williams' withdrawal from the event that starts on October 23 on their Twitter feed, posting a video of Williams herself explaining the decision.
     "Hey everyone in Singapore," Williams said. "I'm really, really bummed that I won't be able to come compete this year.
     "It's been a really tough year for me just dealing so much with these shoulder injuries. My doctor insists that I stay home and heal it every single day."
     The 22-time Grand Slam champion pulled out of two tournaments in China after being knocked out of the semi-finals of the US Open.
     That defeat saw Williams' 186-week reign atop the world rankings end as Germany's Angelique Kerber reached the summit and captured the Flushing Meadows title into the bargain.
     Williams claimed just one Grand Slam title in ...

Serena withdraws from WTA Finals

Samsung Electronics Galaxy Note 7 smartphones are displayed at its shop in Seoul, South Korea. AP | PTI

Japan's transport ministry had earlier issued a warning urging passengers to keep their handsets switched off on aircraft

Japan bans Galaxy Note 7 on airplanes over fire risk

Press Trust of India

The last king of Rwanda, Kigeli V, who ruled the east African nation for less than a year before being forced into exile, finally settling in the United States, has died according to his official website. He was 80.
	Born Jean-Baptiste Ndahindurwa, King Kigeli came to power in 1959 and was forced to leave the country the following year after clashing with the Belgian colonial power. In 1961, the monarchy was abolished.
	The king began a life of exile in east Africa, including Kenya and Uganda, before leaving for America, where he settled in the suburbs of Washington in 1992.
	Details of his death early yesterday were not immediately known.
	"It is with a very heavy heart that we announce that His Majesty King Kigeli V Ndahindurwa, the last King of Rwanda, died early this morning," read a statement on his website.
	"He was a devout and dedicated believer and the last anointed African Roman Catholic king to reign over a full country."
	Funeral arrangements, and details on the heir to ...

Rwanda's last king, Kigeli V, dies at age 80

An explosion almost immediately after launch was behind the failure of North Korea's latest test- firing of a powerful medium-range missile, the South Korean military confirmed today.
	North Korea tested a Musudan missile - capable of hitting US bases as far away as Guam - shortly after midday Saturday near an air base in the northwestern city of Kusong.
	Such launches are usually reported within a few hours or even minutes by South Korean and US military monitors, but the news of Saturday's test only came out around 16 hours after the event.
	"North Korea's missile launch failed shortly after lift- off so a considerable amount of time was needed to analyse it," a South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff official told reporters today.
	A defence ministry spokesman confirmed the missile exploded soon after lift-off, in the very initial stage of the launch.
	First unveiled as an indigenous missile at a military parade in Pyongyang in October 2010, the Musudan has a theoretical range of ...

N Korea missile exploded shortly after lift-off: Seoul

Andy Murray has never been the most fashionable member of tennis's 'Big Four', but he finally looks the part as he zeroes in on the world number one spot.
     Winning back-to-back titles in China without dropping a set tells its own story, and underlines the consensus that Murray is currently the world's best player.
     The 29-year-old swept past Roberto Bautista to win his third Shanghai Masters title on Sunday, lifting his sixth trophy in what has been his best season yet.
     It could get better for Murray, who can overtake Novak Djokovic at the top of the rankings with wins in Vienna and Paris, provided the Serb doesn't reach the Paris final.
     It hasn't done Murray any harm that Djokovic has suffered a sudden and perplexing dip in form, and that Roger Federer is sidelined by injury.
     Rafael Nadal is also a fading force but Murray would be a deserving successor as the last of the four, who have 46 Grand Slam titles between them, to reach number one.
     What's more, ...

Unfashionable Murray looking good for world number one

Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has revisited old feuds, describing Shane Watson as part of a group that was "like a tumour" on the team.
     Star batsman Clarke also spoke of his notorious dressing-room bust-up with Simon Katich, who grabbed the then vice-captain's throat during a disagreement about when the team song should be sung after Australia's Test win against South Africa in 2009.
     In a television interview with Channel Nine's 60 Minutes programme aired late Sunday to coincide with the release of his autobiography, Clarke spoke of his stormy relationships.
     He denied labelling all-rounder Watson a "cancer" on the team, a claim made by Mickey Arthur in documents connected to the former coach's legal action against Cricket Australia following the South African's sacking three years ago after a 4-0 defeat in India.
     Watson had been one of four players stood down by Arthur and Clarke for the third Test against India in Mohali in 2013 in the so-called ...

AFP

AFP

Page 1395 - Afp