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 

Turkey's Erdogan to Iraqi PM: 'Know your place'

PTI Automatic

Singapore's historic Raffles Hotel said today it would shut for several months for renovations to the popular tourist landmark beginning next year.
	Restoration of the 129-year-old hotel, declared a national monument in 1987, will be done in three phases beginning with the shopping arcade in January, the hotel's management said at a news conference.
	Work will start on the main hotel building and lobby in mid-2017 before the hotel shuts completely at the end of the year, reopening in mid-2018.
	Management would not say how much the overhaul of the 103-suite hotel will cost.
	"We have a rich and colourful history and are about to begin a new chapter in our ongoing story - a sensitive restoration that will enable us to continue to offer what our guests expect and value," said Diana Banks, vice president of Raffles Brand.
	The hotel has played host to heads of state, world leaders and even writers Rudyard Kipling and Somerset Maugham.
	Its Long Bar is believed to be where the Singapore ..

Singapore's Raffles Hotel to shut for renovation

Samsung's new smartphone was launched with the expectation of scaling new heights in a highly competitive, rarified market. Instead it has left the company staring into the abyss.
	What initially seemed to be a technical glitch in a few devices swiftly turned into a full-blown crisis that looks set to inflict incalculable damage on the South Korean electronics powerhouse in a market where brand confidence and loyalty are paramount.
	So serious did the problem become with the Galaxy Note 7 and its exploding batteries that Samsung finally bit the bullet Tuesday and announced it was scrapping the model entirely.
	The move could have devastating consequences given that the large-sized Note series, along with the Galaxy S smartphones, are Samsung's flagship bearers in the fierce battle with arch-rival Apple's iPhones for supremacy in the high-end handset market.
	The world's largest smartphone maker announced a global recall of 2.5 million Note 7s on September 2 -- a decisive move that ...

Note 7 nightmare puts Samsung brand on trial

Fear gripped Myanmar's Rakhine state today as troops hunted attackers behind recent deadly raids on police, ratcheting up tensions in a restive region scarred by religious violence between Buddhists and Muslims.
	Troops started pouring into the area around Maungdaw, a town in the north of the state, after nine police officers were killed during attacks near the border with Bangladesh on Sunday.
	At least four people were killed yesterday as soldiers searched for the attackers and weapons stolen during the raids, which officials said were carried out by mobs armed with knives and homemade slingshot-style weapons.
	The area is home to the Muslim Rohingya, a stateless minority who Buddhist nationalists vilify as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, even though many have lived in Myanmar for generations.
	The latest unrest has stoked 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 ...

Fear grips western Myanmar as troops pour in

South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan will be prosecuted for fraud, officials said today, in a move that sent the rand tumbling over concerns about political rivalry and the country's fragile economy.
	Gordhan, 67, was appointed only late last year to calm panicked investors after President Jacob Zuma sacked two finance ministers within four days.
	Since then, Gordhan has regularly clashed with Zuma loyalists after vowing to battle poor governance and graft in a government that has been engulfed by regular corruption scandals.
	Shaun Abrahams, head of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), told reporters that Gordhan would be prosecuted over alleged misconduct when he was previously chief of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) tax collection department.
	Gordhan and two others "must be prosecuted and arraigned on the following crimes: count one, fraud," Abrahams said.
	Abrahams repeatedly denied that the NPA was being politically influenced, and he lashed out at ...

S African finance minister to be prosecuted for fraud

President Vladimir Putin has cancelled a planned visit to Paris, the Kremlin said today, but remains open to meeting Francois Hollande when the French leader is ready.
	"The president has decided to cancel this visit," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, referring to a long-planned trip to Paris set for October 19. "From the very start of his exchanges with his French colleague, President Putin noted that he is ready to visit Paris when it is comfortable for President Hollande. So we'll wait for when that comfortable time comes.

Putin cancels Paris visit: Kremlin

Israeli authorities have barred Palestinians from entering the country from the occupied West Bank or the Gaza Strip ahead of the Jewish Yom Kippur holiday that begins today evening, the army said.
	Such closures are often put in place for major Jewish holidays, but Israeli security forces are on especially high alert following a Palestinian gun attack in Jerusalem on Sunday that killed two people.
	Thousands of Jews visit the Western Wall in east Jerusalem's Old City during Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, which ends tomorrow evening.
	The closure, in place today and tomorrow, applies only to Palestinians and not the roughly 400,000 Israeli settlers who live in the West Bank.
	The Gaza Strip is always under an Israeli blockade, though some crossings are usually allowed for work or medical purposes.
	Humanitarian and urgent medical cases will be allowed through during the holidays despite the closure, the army said.
	More than 3,000 police are being deployed in Jerusalem for the ...

Israel shuts West Bank, Gaza for Jewish holiday

Afghanistan has deployed hundreds of commandos backed by NATO air strikes in Lashkar Gah to flush out Taliban insurgents from the strategic city after the militants killed 14 people in a coordinated attack, officials said today.
	The assault yesterday marked the militants' latest attempt to seize the provincial capital of Helmand, underscoring unravelling security as the insurgents expand their foothold across the opium-rich province 15 years after the US invasion.
	"More than 300 commandos... Have been deployed to the city to prevent Taliban advancement," said Abdul Jabar Qahraman, government special envoy for security in Helmand.
	Provincial spokesman Omar Zwak told AFP the commandos were sent from Kabul and neighbouring provinces to launch a "clearance operation" in Lashkar Gah after the attack, which killed 10 policemen and four others.
	"Soon the security forces will clear the whole city from Taliban," Zwak said.
	"US enablers are in the area and will support as needed. Yesterday 

Hundreds of troops deployed in Afghan city after attack

South Korea's coastguard warned today of a "more aggressive" firearms policy towards Chinese fishing boats illegally operating in its waters, following a clash that sank one of its vessels.
	Disputes over illegal fishing have dogged relations between South Korea and China for years, and there have been numerous skirmishes between the coastguard and Chinese crew members.
	In the latest incident on Sunday a coastguard vessel capsized and sank after being rammed by a Chinese trawler that then sailed away.
	There were no casualties but the South Korean foreign ministry on Tuesday summoned the Chinese ambassador in Seoul to lodge a stern protest and demand "swift action to investigate, arrest and punish those responsible."
	Meanwhile, the coastguard called a press conference to condemn the incident and warn of eased restrictions on the use of weapons - ranging from ship's cannon to crew sidearms - during such altercations.
	"So far we have been very cautious using such crew service weapons 

S Korea vows armed crackdown on Chinese fishing ships

The body of a new-born baby has been found in the toilet of a plane after it arrived in Indonesia from Doha, with police waiting to question a female passenger, an official said today.
	The grim discovery was made late Sunday by cleaners as they moved through the Qatar Airways flight after its arrival at the main international airport serving Jakarta.
	The foetus was estimated to be between five and seven months old, airport police spokesman Endang Sutrisna told AFP. Staff found it wrapped in tissue paper in a toilet.
	A female passenger - an Indonesian migrant worker - was taken for a medical checkup before being transferred to a police hospital in East Jakarta for further tests.
	Officials did not say what relationship she had to the baby.
	"If the results of the doctor's examination shows she is fit for questioning, then she will be brought to the airport police to answer inquiries, and account for her (alleged) actions," Sutrisna said.
	It is not yet clear if the woman will face ..

Body of new-born baby found on plane in Indonesia

Samsung announces total halt to production of troubled Note 7.

Literary circles are abuzz with speculation ahead of Thursday's Nobel Literature Prize announcement, with award watchers suggesting this year's honours could go to a controversial writer such as Syrian-born poet Adonis.
	The Academy is known for its cloak-and-dagger methods to prevent any leaks about its choice, resorting to codenames for authors and fake book covers when reading in public.
	The list of nominees is never revealed and the jury's deliberations are kept secret for half a century.
	The suspense will come to an end on Thursday at 1:00 pm (1100 GMT) when the winner is announced, ending an unusually long wait: it comes a week later than usual "for calendar reasons", the Academy said in late September.
	"That leaves a little more time to speculate" about the 2016 laureate, joked Swedish Academy member Per Wastberg, interviewed by AFP.
	While perfectly in line with Academy statutes according to Wastberg, some Nobel watchers have interpreted the late date as a sign of discord ..

Speculation abounds ahead of Nobel Literature Prize

Two people were killed and one injured when a military helicopter crashed in Mexico's violent state of Tamaulipas, the latest in a series of such incidents.
	The chopper was on a reconnaissance flight eight kilometers east of the state capital of Ciudad Victoria near the US border when it came down, the defense ministry said in a statement.
	The cause was unknown, media reported.
	The aircraft was carrying two pilots and an army officer. The co-pilot, the sole survivor, was airlifted to hospital.
	Tamaulipas is one of Mexico's most violent states, where the Zetas and Gulf cartels are fighting for control of key drug-trafficking routes to the United States.
	The crash is the latest in a recent series of helicopter disasters in Mexico.
	In September five crew died in a police helicopter accident in the state of Michoacan. Experts said the incident took place when the pilot was allegedly conducting evasive maneuvers to avoid fire from a criminal gang.
	That was the second time since 2015 

Two killed, one injured in Mexico military helicopter crash

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

Singapore's central bank on Tuesday shut down a second Swiss bank under investigation for alleged money laundering activities linked to Malaysian state fund 1MDB.
	The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said it had ordered Falcon Bank to cease its operations in the city-state because of serious lapses in anti money laundering controls.
	"Falcon Bank has demonstrated a persistent and severe lack of understanding of MAS' (anti money laundering) requirements and expectations," MAS said in a statement.
	Singapore, a regional financial hub, launched a probe into fund flows linked to 1MDB in 2015.
	Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who founded 1MDB, has been embroiled in the scandal but has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
	MAS announced that it has also fined local bank DBS and Swiss lender UBS for similar violations.
	"The control lapses observed in DBS and UBS relate to specific bank officers who failed to carry out their duties effectively," the MAS said, adding that it did not ...

Singapore says shutting down second bank linked to 1MDB

Samsung told customers worldwide today to stop using their Galaxy Note 7 smartphones as it struggled to contain a snowballing safety crisis that threatens to derail the powerhouse global brand.
	The South Korean conglomerate also called a halt to worldwide sales and exchanges of the troubled handset, as the federal US consumer regulator issued an alarming warning of the possible dangers the device posed to its owners, their families and homes.
	The news slammed Samsung's share price, which plunged as much as seven percent in afternoon trade.
	Today's announcement came a little over a month after the world's largest smartphone maker announced a recall of 2.5 million Note 7s in 10 markets following complaints that its lithium-ion battery exploded while charging.
	The unprecedented move has turned into a PR disaster for the company, which prides itself on innovation and quality, and the situation only worsened when reports emerged a week ago of replacement phones also catching fire.
	"If 

Samsung halts sale, exchange of Note 7 on safety fears

The Islamic State group has said that a senior operative considered the group's information minister had been killed, confirming an earlier Pentagon report.
	An IS statement on social media affirmed the "martyrdom" of Abu Mohammad al-Furqan, the nom de guerre of Wa'il Adil Hasan Salman al-Fayad, saying he was an "emir" of the group's central media body. It did not release any further details.
	Last month the Pentagon said al-Fayad, also known as "Dr Wa'il", was killed in a precision strike on September 7 near Raqa, the Syrian city that is the de facto capital of the Islamic State jihadist group.
	He oversaw the group's media production of videos showing torture and executions, said the Pentagon, describing him as "one of ISIL's most senior leaders" and a close associate of Abu Mohamed al-Adnani, the IS group spokesman killed on August 30.
	Since it announced a self-styled caliphate across Iraq and Syria in 2014, IS has become notorious for broadcasting its macabre tactics.
	The ...

Islamic State confirms 'minister of information' killed

Three people were killed and five wounded during pitched gun battles between Brazilian police and drug traffickers in two Rio slums, triggering panic in the nearby Copacabana and Ipanema tourist areas.
	Two "criminals" were wounded in a morning clash and died at the hospital. A third "fell off a cliff and died," military police said in a statement to AFP about the shootouts in the Cantagalo and Pavao-Pavaozinho favelas.
	The man who fell to his death was wearing a backpack containing about eight kilograms (almost 18 pounds) of cocaine, the statement said.
	In the afternoon, another clash wounded three police officers and two suspects. Eight suspects were arrested and eight firearms seized, police said.
	The clashes began when several police bases were attacked in Pavao-Pavaozinho, said the Police Pacification Unit (UPP), specially created police squads set up to restore law and order in Rio de Janeiro's crime-ridden slums.
	Police called in reinforcements and the fight dragged into ...

3 killed in gun battle near Rio tourist zone

The elder brother of South Korea's Lotte Group chairman has filed a lawsuit against his younger sibling for alleged accounting fraud, his spokesman said today, reigniting a bitter family feud over a stake in the business empire.
	"We submitted a complaint to the prosecutors' office on September 30," Thomas Hong, spokesman for Shin Dong-Joo, former vice president of Lotte Holdings, told AFP.
	Hong said Shin accused Lotte chairman Shin Dong-Bin and two other officials of breaching accounting rules by omitting 370 billion won (US$333 million) worth of losses on capital reduction posted by Lotte Shopping from May 2013 to November 2015.
	Shin claimed that Lotte Shopping deliberately waited to announce the loss -- the first deficit posted by the firm since 2006 -- and that the net loss is larger than the reported amount.
	In a regulatory filing in February this year, Lotte Shopping announced 346.1 billion won in net losses in 2015 due to a re-evaluation of its business rights in China.
	An .

Family feud reignites at S Korea's Lotte Group

A searing first-half strike from Paul Pogba handed France a 1-0 win at rivals the Netherlands as Belgium and Portugal clocked up 6-0 victories and Christian Benteke grabbed a slice of World Cup qualifying history.
     Criticised by coach Didier Deschamps for his performance in Friday's 4-1 win over Bulgaria in Paris, the world's most expensive footballer emphatically replied with a towering display for Les Bleus in Amsterdam in the most eye-catching fixture on Monday.
     The Manchester United midfielder's powerful hit from 25 metres out after half an hour left diving Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg able to get his hands to the fizzing ball but unable to stop it.
     "I didn't speak to him (Pogba), I just said a few words to him before entering the changing rooms, 'I have confidence in you,'" said Deschamps.
     "The match confirms what he is able to do. Pogba was much better in everything he did. He showed what he can do.
     "We never doubted he could do it. We mustn't ...

Pogba fires France as Belgium, Portugal run riot

Brazilian prosecutors accused former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of influence peddling, compounding the woes of a fallen political giant already charged in the Petrobras scandal.
	The new charges allege that after leaving office in 2010 and until 2015, Lula helped the construction company Odebrecht win contracts in Angola.
	Lula intervened with a government bank called BNDES so it would provide financing for Odebrecht projects in the southern African country, prosecutors said.
	In return, Lula and 10 other suspects charged yesterday in this case received Odebrecht shares that are currently worth a total of more than USD9.3 million, the prosecutors' office said.
	Those 10 people include Marcelo Odebrecht, former chairman of the company that bears his name -- it has also been linked to the Petrobras case -- and Taiguara Rodrigues dos Santos, a nephew of Lula.
	Lula had already been ordered to stand trial for alleged corruption and money laundering in the pay-to-play scandal at ..

AFP

AFP

Page 1407 - Afp