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 ...

Ethiopia PM seeks to 'reform electoral system' after protests

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The dart hits a fleeing street dog in the thigh, the bright orange tip sagging against his brown and white fur as he slows to a halt, his limbs succumbing to the sedatives.
	The mutt is one of more than 100,000 strays that roam the streets of Myanmar's commercial capital Yangon, sleeping in doorways, nosing through rubbish and barking their challenges to each other late into the night.
	He is actually one of the lucky ones -- the sedated animal is among several hundred that will be vaccinated and neutered during a three-month city campaign in Yangon's southern Lanmadaw township.
	Loved by some and loathed by others, local authorities have for years tried to contain the swelling packs of dogs by feeding them poisoned meat.
	But animal rights activists have lobbied the government to change tack, arguing that the killings do little to contain the population or stop the spread of rabies.
	As the drugs kick in, a worker muzzles the limp dog and ties his paws together with twine.
	He is ...

It's a dog's life: Yangon neuters city's many strays

A massive oil glut may weigh on world markets deep into next year unless the OPEC producer cartel makes good on its promise to cut output, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said today.
	The oil price has recovered steadily since OPEC said last month that it would reduce production, with details to be hammered out at the cartel's November meeting, and such a deal would "speed up the process" of working off global oil inventories, the IEA said in its monthly report.
	"Even with tentative signs that bulging inventories are starting to decline, our supply-demand outlook suggests that the market -- if left to its own devices -- may remain in oversupply through the first half of next year," the IEA said.
	"If OPEC sticks to its new target, the market's rebalancing could come faster," it said.
	Initially greeted with scepticism among analysts, OPEC's agreement to cut output has gained traction in the oil market, with the IEA noting that the oil price has risen by 15 per cent since the ...

Oil glut to last until mid-2017 unless OPEC cuts output: IEA

Amnesty International today welcomed Jordan's move to allow aid deliveries to thousands of Syrians trapped on its desert border, but called for a long-term solution to the crisis.
	More than 70,000 Syrians are trapped in "hellish conditions" in a remote, arid strip of no-man's land on the Syrian side of the border, the rights group said.
	Jordan closed the border, halting aid deliveries to a makeshift camp, after a bombing claimed by the Islamic State group killed seven Jordanian soldiers in June.
	Since then the kingdom has only allowed a single delivery of aid to the refugees, in August.
	But it said yesterday it would allow further deliveries by crane across the border in the coming weeks.
	Amnesty said the announcement was "a long-awaited glimmer of hope that should be followed by a sustainable, long-term solution".
	"News that humanitarian assistance will be resumed to tens of thousands of refugees... Comes as a welcome relief," said Audrey Gaughran, Amnesty's director of global .

Amnesty calls for long-term solution for trapped Syrians

Spanish police have arrested two men on suspicion of seeking recruits for the Islamic State group, the interior ministry said today.
	The two men, who were arrested in separate operations in northern Spain, were both "fully integrated" into the infrastructure of the jihadist group and were "encouraging terrorist acts," the statement said.
	It was not immediately clear if the two were in touch with each other, but both had clearly expressed support for IS in online postings which were "clearly laid out for mass appeal" and videos which were "extremely radical and shockingly crude," the statement said.
	One of the men, a Spanish national of Moroccan origin who was arrested in the northern port city of Gijon, had sworn loyalty to IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and was in touch with "IS members and leaders" through a large, secure network he had created.
	The other, who was arrested in the Basque resort of San Sebastian near the French border, was also actively recruiting "within radical ..

Spain arrests 2 'IS recruiters'

The battered bodies of six men were found in an abandoned car in the violence- ridden Mexican state of Veracruz, authorities said.
	Prosecutors showed AFP photos of the victims, who were found yesterday with their hands tied behind their backs, bearing the signs of brutal beatings.
	"There are very strong indications" that organized crime groups," played a role in the crime, state prosecutor general Luis Angel Bravo Contreras said.
	The vehicle was located in the town Puente Galera, some 200 kilometers from the city Veracruz, one of Mexico's most important ports, authorities said in a statement.
	The killings prompted student protests in cities across Veracruz demanding better security.
	Last week, the dismembered bodies of four university students were found inside black bags in Veracruz.
	The state is among the most violent in Mexico, with the Zetas and Jalisco New Generation drug cartels waging a brutal battle for control of illegal drug routes to the United States.

6 battered bodies found in abandoned car in Mexico

Egypt has invited tenders to meet its refined oil products needs for October after Saudi Aramco halted the expected delivery of 700,000 tonnes for this month, the petroleum ministry said today.
	The move by the Saudi oil giant was a surprise as Riyadh has been one of the main regional backers of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and had agreed to finance Egyptian imports from Aramco for five years in a USD 23 billion deal reached in April.
	"The Saudi Aramco company verbally informed the General Petroleum Corporation earlier this month that it would halt its supplies for October, without offering any reasons," ministry spokesman Hamdy Abdel Aziz told AFP.
	Egypt has invited "tenders in international markets to supply the amount needed for October and we have opened credit lines with the central bank and will reach a deal soon."
	Egypt angered its ally on Saturday by voting in favour of a Russian-drafted resolution on the conflict in Syria which Saudi Arabia had strongly opposed.
	Riyadh .

Egypt seeks alternatives after Saudi halts fuel deliveries

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) condemned Russia today for detaining former chess champion and political activist Garry Kasparov ahead of an opposition rally in 2007.
	"(The) deprivation of his liberty was found not to be justified for any lawful purpose," the ECHR, the paramount jurisdiction on human rights in Europe, said.
	The case dates to May 18, 2007, when Kasparov was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, where he was to board a flight to Samara, western Russia, to attend a rally at an EU-Russian summit.
	Kasparov had his ticket and passport confiscated and was taken to a police office and questioned for five hours as to whether his ticket had been forged.
	He was prohibited from leaving the office and an armed officer guarded the door. He missed his flight and the rally as a result.
	"While the authorities claimed they had been investigating Mr Kasparov for committing the crime of forgery, there was no evidence that any forgery had taken place, let alone that ...

European Court condemns Russia over Kasparov interrogation

A member of the ruling party in Turkey's restive southeast has been killed in an attack blamed on militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a local official said today.
	Deryan Aktert, head of a local office of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the Diyarbakir province, was hit by gunfire at a gas station and later succumbed to his injuries, the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
	It marked the second attack targeting ruling party officials within 24 hours, after the killing at the weekend of another ruling party official, Aydin Mustu, in the eastern province of Van.
	After the latest killing, Turkish security forces have launched a hunt to find perpetrators, the official said.
	Turkish police have detained at least 28 suspects, according to a security source.
	The PKK, listed as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies, has waged a bloody insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.
	The group has resumed attacks on Turkish ...

Ruling party member killed in southeast Turkey: official

Myanmar's border guard today buried nine officers killed in mysterious raids in the western state of Rakhine, as the military tightened control over a region long scarred by violence between Buddhists and Muslims.
	Uniformed officers carried the wooden coffins draped with national flags through rain and thick mud before laying them to rest in a cemetery in the town of Maungdaw.
	Troops have poured into the town and surrounding area close to the Bangladesh border since the three coordinated attacks on Sunday by what authorities have described as mobs armed with knives and homemade weapons.
	Most people in the area are Muslim Rohingya, a stateless minority whom Buddhist nationalists vilify as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh - even though many have lived in Myanmar for generations.
	The unrest has fuelled fears of a repeat of 2012, when more than 100 people were killed in waves of sectarian violence that drove tens of thousands of Rohingya into displacement camps.
	At least four ...

Myanmar buries slain police in Rakhine as troops pour in

Iranian football fans faced a tricky balancing act today as they prepared for a clash with South Korea in the midst of a religious holiday in which they are banned from expressing joy.
     Many took part in mourning processions as they gathered at the 75,000-capacity Azadi ("freedom") stadium in Tehran to mark the eve of Ashura, one of the holiest days in the Iranian calendar.
     For Shiite Muslims, Ashura marks the death of Imam Hussein in the seventh century, and is traditionally a day of sombre processions through the streets, in which black-clad men beat their chests and heads in anger and despair.
     So it proved controversial with religious leaders when the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) match against South Korea was scheduled for the day before.
     "Bear in mind that if football is going to be played on the eve of the Ashura, the atmosphere of this match must be 100 percent in line with Ashura," warned Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Ali Movahedi Kermani last week, ...

Iran football fans banned from celebrating on holy day

Driverless vehicles carrying passengers took to Britain's streets for the first time today in a landmark trial which could pave the way for their introduction across the country.
	The compact two-seater cars trundled along a pedestrianised zone in Milton Keynes, north of London, in a trial by Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) which plans to roll out 40 vehicles in the city.
	Neil Fulton, programme director at TSC, said it represented a "major milestone" for autonomous vehicles in Britain.
	"The special thing about today is that this is the first time that a self-driving vehicle has been tested in a public place" in Britain, he said.
	Although the system is currently only being trialled on pedestrianised streets at speeds of around five miles per hour, self-driving cars on British roads "are not that far away", he added.
	The "Selenium" autonomy software running the vehicle, developed by Oxford University's Oxford Robotics Institute and its spinoff company Oxbotica, uses data from ...

Driverless cars hit British streets in landmark trial

Italian Olympic Committee president Giovanni Malago put a definitive end today to Rome's bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games after the city's newly elected mayor refused to support the project.
     "I wrote to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today to withdraw Rome-2024 from the running," Malago told a specially convened press conference.
     Rome's ill-fated bid to host the Games was effectively killed off last month when the city council voted in favour of the new mayor's request to withdraw support.
     Nearly two thirds of councillors backed mayor Virginia Raggi's position that the cash-strapped city needs to sort out its own problems before it is in a position to host the Games.
     "I'm forced to interrupt this process eleven months from its conclusion and after three years of work," said Malago.
     "It's a pity because our project was a winning project. It's irresponsible to have to give up the IOC money and the 177,000 jobs which would have been created."
     ...

Italians officially abandon Rome bid

Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak has been appointed national cricket head coach to replace Dav Whatmore who was dismissed in June.
     "Zimbabwe Cricket has named former captain Heath Streak as the new national head coach," Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) said in a statement on Tuesday.
     The 42-year-old was unveiled at a press conference in Zimbabwe's second largest city Bulawayo after accepting a two-year contract.
     "For me, having captained this country, to be offered the post of head coach is a great honour and I know with it comes responsibility not just to the players but to the fans and supporters of Zimbabwe cricket as well," Streak said.
     "My promise is, I will leave no stone unturned in terms of our endeavour and our quest to improve the team's performances.
     "I believe that we have the resources here in Zimbabwe to do just that and planning is obviously going to be a major factor."
     Streak previously coached a local cricket team and had stints as bowling coach 

Zimbabwe appoint ex-captain Streak as coach

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said today he would soon visit China and hoped to also travel to Russia, as he again criticised longtime ally the United States for "arrogance".
	"China has repeatedly invited me. I have accepted the offer," Duterte said in a speech at the presidential palace.
	Duterte gave no specific dates for visiting China, but said it would take place before he went to Japan.
	The Japanese government announced today that Duterte would visit Japan from October 25 to 27.
	Duterte said he had originally planned to visit Japan, the Philippines' biggest source of foreign aid, ahead of China.
	However he explained that Japan offered a "definite" date, then China told Duterte there was a "vacancy" earlier and so he accepted.
	Duterte also said that, after Japan, "probably I will go to Russia".
	The trip will be Duterte's first outside of Southeast Asia since assuming the presidency on June 30, signalling the importance he places on improving relations with Beijing ...

Philippines' Duterte says he will visit China

At least five children were killed by rebel fire on a school in the southern Syrian city of Daraa today, state media said.
	"Five children were killed and 15 wounded in terrorist shelling of a primary school in the Al-Sahary neighbourhood of Daraa," state news agency SANA reported.
	The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, also reported the rocket fire on the school, saying at least six people had been killed, five of them children.
	It said that at least 25 people were wounded in the attack, and that the death toll was likely to rise because a number of the wounded were in critical condition.
	Rebel forces control most of Daraa province, but the provincial capital is largely controlled by the government.
	Daraa is sometimes dubbed the "cradle" of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad that began with protests in the province in March 2011.

5 children killed by rebel fire on Syria school: state media

Dutch authorities said today they have suspended plans to sue the US makers of Pokemon Go after the company deleted its virtual pets from a protected beach in The Hague.
	The so-called Pokestops and Pokegyms, which attract Pokemon and allow players to buy accessories to capture, treat and train the virtual monsters, "have been removed from the protected natural area," municipality spokesman Gerald Rensink told AFP.
	Since the game was launched in the Netherlands, thousands of fans have been crowding the vast, windswept beaches of Kijkduin where hundreds of the game's most popular cartoon monsters spawned daily.
	The smartphone app uses satellite locations, graphics and the phone's camera capabilities to overlay the cartoon monsters onto real-world settings.
	But the small coastal village of Kijkduin, south of The Hague, has been inundated with players, triggering concern for the protected dunes surrounding the beaches.
	Pokemon creator Niantic pledged Friday it would withdraw all the .

Dutch freeze court action against Pokemon Go makers

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza today refused to apologise to England for his team's celebrations after Jos Buttler's dismissal during Sunday's second One-day International match in Mirpur.
     The International Cricket Council fined Mortaza and batsman Sabbir Rahman 20 per cent of their match fees because match officials deemed the duo had overstepped the mark.
     The ICC also cautioned Buttler, who had reacted angrily to the dismissal following a TV replay.
     "Actually we didn't do anything wrong so we shouldn't apologise," Mortaza told reporters in Chittagong.
     "We just celebrated what we've felt. We don't have to say sorry for that. Whatever happened, match referee was there (to judge it)."
     England showed their anger even after the match, as Ben Stokes apparently refused to shake hands with Tamim Iqbal and engaged in a heated argument with the Bangladesh opener.
     Mortaza said he had seen video footage of the row and defended Iqbal.
     The ongoing ...

No apology for England says Bangladesh's Mortaza

Russia and Egypt will hold joint military drills involving airborne troops on Egyptian soil for the first time this month, the Russian defence ministry said today.
	"The joint Russian-Egyptian drills will happen in mid- October 2016 on the territory of Egypt," it said, without specifying their start date.
	The drills, called "Protectors of Friendship-2016", will include 500 troops, 15 planes and helicopters and 10 military hardware units, the ministry said, describing the exercises as "anti-terrorist".
	"The airborne delivery by parachute of several Russian airborne troops' combat vehicles to the desert climate of Egypt will occur for the first time in history," the ministry said.
	Last year Russia and Egypt held their first-ever joint naval exercises in the Mediterranean, which included the Black Sea fleet's flagship Moskva missile cruiser.
	Russia has been waging an aerial bombing campaign in Syria for the past year in support of the Syrian government, part of the multi-front war ...

Russia to hold military drills in Egypt in October

France's health minister visited the country's first "shooting gallery" for hard drug addicts today as opposition politicians denounced the experiment at a hospital in northern Paris.
	The centre is "the culmination of a political battle that has not been easy," Marisol Touraine said as she inspected the facility alongside Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, a fellow Socialist.
	Its opening, set for Friday, will be "a very important moment in the fight against the scourge of addiction," by allowing users to shoot up in sanitary conditions, Touraine added.
	The centre at the Lariboisiere hospital, in a gritty district near the Gare du Nord known for its high concentration of hard drug users, is expected to receive 100 people a day.
	Other such facilities exist in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Switzerland.
	Philippe Goujon of the right-wing opposition Republicans party criticised the project as a "false good idea."
	Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, 

France to open first 'shooting gallery' for drug addicts

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today snubbed Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's criticism of the presence of Turkish troops in Iraq ahead of a planned operation to retake Mosul city, asking him to "know your place."
	"He is insulting me personally. You are not my interlocutor, you are not at my level," Erdogan told a meeting in Istanbul, in comments addressed to Abadi.
	"It's not important at all how you shout from Iraq. You should know that we will do what we want to do," he added.
	"Who's that? The Iraqi prime minister. First you know your place!"
	Turkey has said its troops would remain in Iraq despite Baghdad's growing anger ahead of a planned operation to recapture Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) group.
	Ankara maintains an estimated 2,000 troops in Iraq - around 500 of them in the Bashiqa camp in northern Iraq training local fighters who will join the battle to recapture Mosul, according to Turkish media reports.
	Baghdad has repeatedly called on Ankara to pull out 

AFP

AFP

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