At least 473 people are now known to have died as Hurricane Matthew leveled swaths of southern Haiti last week, officials said, as hard-hit communities struggled to rebuild homes and access food and clean water.
	Haiti is observing three days of mourning for victims of the deadly storm, which also left 75 missing and 330 injured according to the provisional toll from the nation's civil protection agency.
	More than 175,500 people remain in shelters across the country, many of them in schools -- which is keeping nearly 100,000 children from resuming classes.
	Interim President Jocelerme Privert said those affected would receive humanitarian aid but warned against extending emergency help without a plan for long-term reconstruction.
	"If we continue to bring emergency food aid to victims -- without taking steps to recapitalize them, for money to circulate in affected areas -- the risk of exodus to large cities is still there," Privert told journalists.
	Privert said the Haitian ...

Haiti death toll hits 473 as survivors plead for aid

PTI Automatic

12 dead in clashes in Myanmar's restive Rakhine: state

The US Supreme Court agreed to consider a lawsuit that accuses former senior government officials of abusive detentions of immigrants rounded up after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
	At issue is the responsibility of former attorney general John Ashcroft, former FBI director Robert Mueller and other officials of the administration of then-president George W. Bush, who argue they are immune from prosecution.
	In the wake of the 9/11 attacks by Al-Qaeda operatives in New York, Washington and aboard a commercial airliner, US authorities questioned and detained more than 750 immigrants because they lacked the proper immigration documents.
	The plaintiffs say they were targeted because they were Muslims or of Arab descent, and were held for no valid reason.
	 They recounted abusive detentions, including being held in isolation, deprived of sleep, and subject to insults and physical abuse by guards.
	Two of the current eight Supreme Court judges have recused themselves, after ...

US top court to consider post-9/11 detentions of immigrants

Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian during clashes in the Silwan area of east Jerusalem, Palestinian officials said.
	Ali Shiouki, 20, was killed yesterday as security services and the Israeli army were deployed in force across the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem to prevent attacks during the solemn Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the officials said.

Palestinian shot dead by Israeli soldiers: official

The United States warned its African ally Ethiopia not to abuse the state of emergency it declared this week to suppress dissent and welcomed talk of political reform.
	Ethiopia declared an emergency on Sunday after six months of anti-government protests, but yesterday Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn promised that opposition voices would be heard.
	US State Department spokesman John Kirby welcomed this offer from the government "to address some of the grievances raised by protesters such as land rights and electoral reform."
	But he urged President Mulatu Teshome's administration to "clarify" how it intends to implement a state of emergency which authorized "detention without a warrant, limitations on free speech, prohibitions on public gatherings and the imposition of curfews."
	"Even if these measures are intended to restore order, silencing independent voices and interfering with the rights of Ethiopians is a self-defeating tactic that exacerbates rather than address those ...

US warns Ethiopia against emergency crackdown

As Turkey and Iraq traded insults over the Turkish troop presence outside Mosul, the United States urged its allies to resolve the spat before a major offensive on the city.
	Iraq is preparing to fight to liberate Mosul from the Islamic State group with support from the United States and a broad -- though sometimes fractious -- coalition of international partners.
	But recent preparations for the looming offensive have been overshadowed by tensions between Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
	Abadi has repeatedly urged Turkey to withdraw troops deployed near the northern city in an area nominally part of Iraq but controlled by forces loyal to the country's autonomous Kurdish region.
	Erdogan has refused, insisting that Turkey has a role to play in liberating the city from the jihadists, and with tempers rising, both sides have resorted to insults.
	In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby said the operation would be led by ...

US tries to defuse Iraq-Turkey war of words over Mosul

The next US cargo supply trip to the International Space Station has been postponed until Sunday due to Hurricane Nicole, which is bearing down on Bermuda, NASA said.
	Initially set for Thursday, Orbital ATK will now launch its unmanned Cygnus cargo ship no earlier than Sunday from Wallops Island, Virginia, the US space agency said yesterday.
	Nicole is expected to reach Bermuda on Thursday, and could interfere with key equipment used to assist with the launch which has been rescheduled at 8:03 pm (0003 GMT Monday).
	"The tracking station at Bermuda is required to conduct the Antares launch from Wallops," said Steven Kremer, chief of the Wallops Range and Mission Management Office.
	"The ability to support a launch will depend on the impact the storm has on not only our systems, but also the overall Bermuda infrastructure."
	Once the storm has passed Bermuda, experts will assess the damage and see what, if any, steps are needed to make the site operational again.
	Nicole was upgraded .

Hurricane Nicole delays next US cargo mission to space

Voters in the US state of Florida appear overwhelmingly inclined to legalise medical marijuana in a referendum November 8, a new poll out today shows.
	Some 77 per cent of likely voters in the southeastern state have said they will cast ballots in favor of Amendment 2 -- which would change the state's constitution to legalise cannabis for medicinal use -- according to the survey conducted by the Public Opinion Research Laboratory (PORL) at the University of North Florida.
	"Not only are Democrats wildly supportive, but even Republicans are above the 60 per cent threshold required for passage," said the laboratory's faculty director Michael Binder. He added that the strongest support was among likely voters age 34 and under, but many older than 65 also favor the amendment.
	The poll -- which surveyed some 700 likely voters between September 27 and October 4 -- found that about 18 per cent of Floridians have said they will vote against legalisation, with four per cent still ...

Florida voters set to legalise medical marijuana: survey

Bosnia is "a failed concept," Serb leader in the Balkans country Milorad Dodik said today, adding that he "thinks a lot" about a referendum on independence for his Republika Srpska.
	The troubled leader has already threatened to call such a vote, which would further undermine fragile institutions established by the Dayton agreement that ended the inter-ethnic 1992-1995 war.
	"I do not want to pretend to support a failed concept called Bosnia and Herzegovina," Dodik told AFP in an interview at his presidency in the northern town of Banja Luka.
	However, he said he was ready to work "to ensure sustainability of Bosnia as previewed by the constitution."
	Today "Bosnia and Herzegovina is a place that nobody wants except few idealists in Sarajevo who want to preserve it," he said, adding that "from a rational point of view nobody benefits from it."
	Dodik added that unless a consensus can be found between Bosnia's communities -- Muslims, Serbs and Croats -- the country will ...

Bosnia is 'a failed concept': Serb leader

Gunmen targeted Shiite pilgrims in Kabul late today, killing at least 14 people as they gathered to celebrate Ashura, one of the most important festivals on the Shiite calendar, officials said.
	   Some 36 people were wounded and at least one attacker killed, interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said, adding that the assault was over.
	   Special forces had briefly entered the Karte Sakhi shrine near Kabul University to see if any more gunmen were sheltering inside, with police evacuating people from the area, officials said.
	   Of the 14 killed, 13 were civilians and one a police officer. Three police were among the wounded, Seddiqi said.
	   "A number of attackers have targeted people in Karte Sakhi shrine," said Kabul Police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi.
	   "Police have evacuated dozens of people from the shrine. A number of civilians and police have been injured."
	   Police also said two grenades had been detonated during the attack.
	   No group has yet claimed ...

Gunmen kill 14 in Kabul attack on Shiites marking Ashura

A 75-year-old Taiwanese billionaire was robbed last week at her Paris home of jewels worth up to USD 220,000, police said today.
	Shaw-Lan Wang, a publisher who is also the main shareholder of the French fashion label Lanvin, lives in the chic 16th district of the French capital.
	Wang, a director of the Taiwanese newspaper United Daily News, was taking an afternoon nap when the robbery occurred on October 4, the police source said.
	It was the day after celebrity Kim Kardashian lost millions worth of jewels in a heist nearby, but the two robberies were not linked, the source said.
	Two men broke into Wang's apartment while she was sleeping and made off with jewels including a ring she was wearing, he said, adding that she was unharmed.
	They also stole telephones and "various luxury items", he said.
	The value of the haul is estimated at between 150,000 and 200,000 euros.

Taiwanese billionaire robbed of jewels at Paris home: police

Japanese IT giant Fujitsu said today it was planning to cut up to 1,800 jobs in Britain as part of a restructuring programme.
	Fujitsu said the plan was to streamline its operations and make it more competitive in a global information technology market.
	The layoffs amount to around 13 per cent of its workforce in Britain and Ireland, where it claims to be the biggest Japanese employer with some 14,000 staff.
	Fujitsu insisted the announcement was not linked to Britain's vote in June to leave the European Union.
	The programme will enable Fujitsu to "better support customers in the era of digital transformation", the company said.
	The restructuring should mean the firm can "provide better service and respond more quickly to customer needs", it claimed.
	"As part of the programme, Fujitsu plans to streamline operations in order to remain competitive in the market.
	"Proposed measures include changes which would result in a reduction of up to 1,800 jobs in the UK."
	A spokeswoman told .

Japanese IT giant Fujitsu plans 1,800 UK job cuts

Europe's new security commissioner Julian King today praised EU members for their work in beefing up security, as he pledged more backing from Brussels to fight the growing terror threat.
	EU member states have done "a lot of work in this area. But that doesn't mean that there isn't a real job to be done at the EU level," King told a press conference in The Hague.
	"There is work to be done to close down the space in which terrorists can be active," the continent's security czar said, including through introducing new legislation and tackling radicalisation.
	King, a former British ambassador to France, was confirmed last month as the new European Union security commissioner, tasked with improving information and intelligence sharing in the face of deadly terror attacks.
	And he will likely be Britain's last top official to the EU, after Jonathan Hill stepped down from the important financial services post following Britain's shock June vote to quit the bloc.
	It was King's second ...

EU security czar pledges more backing in terror fight

Gunmen targeted Shiite pilgrims in Kabul today as they gathered near a shrine to celebrate the festival of Ashura, one of the most important on the Shiite calendar, the Ministry of Interior said.
	"Three attackers opened fire, two were killed," said ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi, who was not able to clarify whether there were casualties. The third assailant was still on the loose, he said.
	Police evacuated pilgrims at the scene, according to local television station Tolo News.
	Karte Sakhi shrine, where the attack took place, is located in the west of the Afghan capital, near Kabul University.
	The threat of attack targeting Shiites was considered particularly serious during Ashura, and many foreign embassies had restricted their staff's movements until the end of the week in Kabul.
	Ashura, which will be observed tomorrow, commemorates the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
	For Shiites around the world, Ashura is a symbol of the struggle against ...

Gunmen target Shiites in Kabul, 2 attackers killed: officials

British foreign minister Boris Johnson today called for anti-war campaigners to protest outside the Russian embassy in London, during a parliamentary debate on the bombing of Aleppo in Syria.
	"I'd certainly like to see demonstrations outside the Russian embassy," Johnson told MPs in parliament.
	Johnson, a former mayor of London known for his many public gaffes, said the "wells of outrage are growing exhausted" and anti-war groups were not expressing sufficient outrage at the conflict in Aleppo.
	"Where is the Stop the War Coalition at the moment? Where are they?" he said.
	The Stop the War group was co-founded by current opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn to protest against the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
	It brought millions of Britons into the streets to protest against the build-up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
	During today's debate in parliament, several lawmakers accused Russia of committing war crimes in Syria.
	Johnson was responding to a question from Labour .

UK's Johnson urges Syria protests at Russian embassy

Denmark's intelligence service today asked police to investigate its former head for allegedly breaching his confidentiality agreement in a book about his time at the agency.
	"It is the Danish Security and Intelligence Service's (PET) assessment that the book, which is partly based on interviews with the former head of PET, Jakob Scharf, contains information... Covered by his confidentiality agreement," the agency said in a statement.
	Scharf, who headed PET between 2007 and 2013, denies violating his confidentiality agreement, insisting he did not reveal anything that was not already public knowledge.
	PET said it believed the publisher of daily Politiken may also have broken the law when it published the book, called "Seven Years for PET -- Jakob Scharf's Time", in its entirety on Sunday.
	The move came after PET obtained a provisional injunction early Saturday against the book's publication from the City Court of Copenhagen, amid fears it could contain secrets, prompting ...

Danish former intel chief reported to police in book spat

Regime ally Russia carried out its heaviest strikes in days on Syria's Aleppo today, as at least five children were killed in rebel fire on a school in the war-torn country's south.
	The raids killed 16 civilians, a monitor said, and caused massive damage in several residential areas of the city's rebel-held east.
	Russian President Vladimir Putin meanwhile cancelled a planned trip to Paris in a row over the violence in Syria, where Moscow is helping President Bashar al-Assad's forces in an operation to recapture all of Aleppo.
	Syria's army announced a bid last month to retake the city, which has been divided since mid-2012.
	The assault began after the collapse of a short-lived truce negotiated by Washington and Moscow, and has seen the besieged east of the city come under fierce aerial assault.
	The army said last Wednesday it would reduce its bombardment, after days of bombing that killed hundreds and destroyed the largest remaining hospital in the rebel-held east.
	But an AFP ...

Russia renews heavy bombing of Syria's Aleppo

Gunmen targeted Shiite pilgrims in Kabul today as they gathered near a mosque to celebrate the festival of Ashura, the Ministry of Interior said.
	"Three attackers opened fire, two were killed," said ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi, who was not able to clarify whether there were casualties.

Gunmen target Shiites in Kabul, two attackers killed:officials

Russia today said its oil majors were ready to back moves by the government to curb oil production in coordination with OPEC to push up pressured oil prices.
	A day after President Vladimir Putin propelled oil prices higher by saying Moscow could join OPEC by freezing or cutting production, Energy Minister Alexander Novak confirmed that Russia was ready to take part in the process of "rebalancing" prices.
	But speaking at the World Energy Congress in Istanbul, Novak emphasised that Russian companies, who include state-controlled oil giant Rosneft, were prepared to be included in such moves.
	"We have discussed this situation with our companies... And I repeat again that our companies have expressed readiness to take part in joint actions on the oil market."
	"We will continue this work with our companies," he said, noting that while Russia has some 200 oil companies, 10 prominent players account for 90 percent of production.
	Putin's declarations on yesterday, also at the Istanbul ...

Russia says its oil firms ready to back curbs with OPEC

Turkey's president is "pouring oil on the fire" and the country is not serious about resolving a dispute over Ankara's deployment of troops in Iraq, the premier's spokesman said today.
	Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier today told Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to "know your place," and said that he is "not on my level."
	With his latest remarks, Erdogan is "pouring oil on the fire," Saad al-Hadithi, the Iraqi premier's spokesman, told AFP, adding that Turkey's responses had made an issue of law and security into a "problem of a personal nature".
	"It seems that Turkey is not serious about solving the problem with Iraq," Hadithi said.
	Abadi has repeatedly called on Turkey to withdraw troops deployed near the northern city of Mosul, and said that they will not play a role in the operation to retake it from the Islamic State group.
	Turkey has ignored these requests and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said last week that the country's forces would stay "no matter ...

Turkey is 'pouring oil on the fire': Iraq PM spokesman

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said today his government wants to reform an electoral system which has excluded the opposition, in response to months of bloody protests.
	Hailemariam met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel just days after declaring a six-month state of emergency following a protest movement against his one-party regime, which is accused of marginalising the country's largest ethnic groups.
	"We want to reform the electoral system so the voices of those who are not represented can also be heard in the parliament," Hailemariam said.
	"Because of this electoral system 51 percent of votes is enough to win all the seats."
	Under Ethiopia's current system, Hailemariam's ruling coalition took every one of the 546 seats in parliament during last year's election.
	His regime currently faces its biggest challenge in the 25 years since coming to power.
	When he succeeded Ethiopia's former Marxist rebel-turned-leader Meles Zenawi, who died in 2012, Hailemariam ...

AFP

AFP

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