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 ..

Brazil's Lula accused of influence peddling

PTI Automatic

Burundi barred three United Nations rights experts who had accused the government in Bujumbura of being responsible for abuses and warned of a danger of genocide from the violence.
	In a letter sent by Foreign Minister Alain Aime Nyamitwe and seen by AFP, the Burundian government said the three UN investigators were declared persona non grata with immediate effect.
	Pablo de Greiff from Colombia, Christof Heyns from South Africa and Maya Sahli-Fadel of Algeria had been appointed in December to lead the independent probe.
	UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric expressed disapproval of Burundi's decision.
	"It's critical that Burundi and every other country cooperate fully with UN human rights mechanism and that is including working with those representing it," he said.
	The decision to bar the three UN experts came just days after Burundi announced plans to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, warning of a "plot" to harm the country.
	The three experts had concluded in a report ...

Burundi bars three UN rights investigators

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It is intended to compete with similar office communication products including Microsoft's Yammer, Salesforce's Chatter and Slack

Facebook launches intra-office Workplace

Press Trust of India

Saudi Arabia will begin holding meeting tomorrow with potential investors as it plans to issue its first international bonds, official media reported.
	An analyst has told AFP the issue could be worth USD 15 billion, as the kingdom tries to adjust its economy to cope with oil revenues which collapsed over the past two years.
	Officials have "assigned a number of international and local investment banks to coordinate a series of meetings with bond instrument investors," the Saudi Press Agency said today.
	"They will begin Tuesday October 11. In addition, these investment banks will be assigned to manage and organise the first international bonds denominated in US dollars."
	Finance Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf has told Bloomberg News that a decision on the timing of the bond, and its amount, has not been made.
	The bond could be worth USD 15 billion, Patrick Dennis, lead Middle East economist at Oxford Economics in London, told AFP last month.
	"Demand is going to be very good, ...

Saudi starts roadshow for 1st global bond issue: media

A road ambush blamed on South Sudanese rebels left 21 people dead over the weekend, police said today, as the UN warned of a surge of violence in the world's youngest nation.
	Police spokesman Dominant Kawcgwok said a group of mostly women and children -- fleeing violence further north -- were travelling in a lorry between the capital Juba and the southern city of Yei when it "fell into ambush".
	"We lost something like 21 people," and another 20 were wounded, he said.
	The government has blamed the attack on rebel forces supporting former vice president Riek Machar, who fled to Khartoum after fighting broke out in Juba in July.
	The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said in a statement it had received "deeply disturbing reports of horrific violence" against civilians in Yei.
	UNMISS "is extremely concerned by the continuing deterioration of the security situation in Yei, Central Equatoria, where the Mission continues to be denied access," read the statement.
	In another .

S Sudan weekend road ambush leaves 21 dead: police

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has filed an appeal to contest a decision by German authorities to drop a probe into a TV comic who satirised him, local officials said today.
	The public prosecutor's office in Mainz, western Germany, said Erdogan had formally filed a request to have the decision overturned.
	The suit was filed by Erdogan's lawyer on Sunday, Mainz head prosecutor Andrea Keller said in a statement.
	The appeal will be handled by the general prosecutor's office in Coblenz, she said.
	The episode has had a toxic effect on German-Turkish relations, casting a shadow over attempts to stem the influx of Syrian migrants via Turkey.
	It stems from a broadcast on the public TV channel ZDF in March by comedian Jan Boehmermann.
	Boehmermann recited a so-called "Defamatory Poem" satirically accusing of Erdogan of bestiality and paedophilia.
	Boehmermann said the piece was a reaction to Ankara's decision to summon Germany's ambassador over another satirical song broadcast on .

Erdogan files appeal in Germany over satire probe

Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem warned Britain today that a "hard Brexit", leaving the UK with no special ties to the European Union, would be a choice made by London alone.
	"It is their choice, that is my understanding of the speech of the Prime Minister (Theresa May)," Dijsselbloem, who is also the Dutch finance minister, said as he arrived for talks with his eurozone counterparts in Luxembourg.
	"It is their choice to go for a hard Brexit and I would not be in favour of that at all," Dijsselbloem said.
	Dijsselbloem was referring to an uncompromising speech by May last week in which she said curbs on migration and not trade ties would be the priority in divorce talks with the EU.
	But EU leaders have said Britain must accept free movement of people if it wants unfettered access to the European single market, the world's biggest and richest economy.
	"There are principles, and on these principles, no country still remaining in the European Union will budge," said French Finance .

'Hard Brexit' is up to Britain: Dijsselbloem

The Trump Taj Mahal, one of the glitzy casinos on which Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump pinned his reputation as a real estate mogul, closed today after a financially tumultuous history.
	The 15,000 square foot hotel and gaming complex, which passed through two bankruptcy reorganizations since it opened in Atlantic City in 1990 at a cost of some USD 1 billion, shut down after again piling up losses and failing to resolve a long dispute with workers over wages and benefits.
	The casino was not longer owned by Trump, having been taken over by Wall Street investor Carl Icahn in 2014. But it continued to carry the candidate's name, the last of three he launched in the New Jersey coast resort.
	The hotel shut its doors officially at 5.59 AM today (local time) as members of the Unite Here service workers union picketed outside.
	"Today is a sad day for Atlantic City. Despite our best efforts, which included losing almost USD 350 million over just a few short years, we were ...

Last Trump casino closes in Atlantic City

Haiti's death toll from monster Hurricane Matthew has risen to 372, civil defense officials said today, as the impoverished country continues to dig out of massive destruction in the south.
	On the second day of a three-day national mourning, the authorities added 36 more people to tally of confirmed dead. Four others were listed missing.
	More than 175,500 people were staying in temporary shelters, days after the Caribbean's worst storm in nearly a decade slammed into Haiti last Tuesday.
	Officials said the department of Grande Anse in the south, where Matthew wreaked severe damage, suffered the worst: 198 dead, 97 injured and 99,400 in shelters.
	Areas of the country remained unreachable yesterday while one million people, according to the United Nations, need aid.
	Hurricane Matthew later moved up the southeastern coast of the United States, leaving at least 17 people dead there.

Haiti's hurricane death toll rises to 372

President Vladimir Putin today said that non-OPEC member Russia was ready to join measures to limit oil production, saying that this was the only way to balance the market after a prolonged period of low prices.
	"In the current situation, we believe a freeze or a cutting of the production of oil is the only way preserve the stability of the energy sector and accelerate a rebalancing of the market," he said at the World Energy Congress in Istanbul.
	"Russia is prepared to join joint measures limiting production and calls on other exporting countries to do the same," he added.
	He expressed hope this would lead to a concrete agreement at a November OPEC meeting and that this idea would be a "positive signal to the market and investors".
	The period of low oil prices has been hugely damaging to economies like Russia which has failed over the last years to reduce its dependence on hydrocarbon exports for revenues.
	Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak is expected to attend an informal 

Russia ready to join measures to limit oil production: Putin

Brent North Sea crude rose to USD 53.45 a barrel today - its highest price in a year after President Vladimir Putin indicated Russia was ready to join measures to limit global oil production.
	At around 1453 GMT, the price hit USD 53.45 - a USD 1.53 increase from today. It was the highest level reached since October 2015, when it was at USD 54.05 a barrel.

Brent oil price hits highest level in a year

A chorus of critics painted Donald Trump as a dictator in the making, after he threatened to imprison Hillary Clinton if he wins the White House.
	Trump was called "dangerous," "unfit" to be president and drew a series of unfavorable comparisons to Venezuela and Russia after he told his rival he would have her jailed if he were victorious in November.
	"If I win, I'm going to instruct the attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation because there's never been so many lies, so much deception," the Republican told his Democratic rival during their second presidential debate.
	He was referring to Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state, which the Federal Bureau of Investigation has looked into and declined to prosecute.
	When Clinton said that it was "awfully good" that someone with Trump's temperament was "not in charge of the law of our country," he shot back: "Because you'd be in jail."
	During Trump's campaign rallies his ...

Trump lambasted for Clinton jail threat

Brent oil price hits highest level in a year at USD 53.22

Bangladesh cricket authorities said today they have detained an Indian for suspected links with illegal gambling operations during a cricket series between Bangladesh and England.
     The suspect was detained during Friday's first One-day International of the controversial tour, held despite the country's deadliest terror attack on a Dhaka cafe in July.
     "Our anti-corruption officials found his movements suspicious so they detained him and handed him over to local police," said Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) spokesman Jalal Yunus.
     Gambling is illegal in Bangladesh, whose cricket authorities threw out four Indian nationals last year for suspected involvement during a Twenty20 tournament.
     Local police official Bhuiyan Mahboob Hossain said the suspect had been handed to the Indian High Commission after being interrogated, and had not been charged.
     England agreed to tour Bangladesh only after the Bangladeshi authorities promised "unprecedented" security during the ...

Bangladesh detains Indian over illegal cricket gambling

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza and batsman Sabbir Rahman were fined 20 percent of their match fees Monday for an altercation with rival skipper Jos Buttler in their team's victory over England in the second ODI.
     The International Cricket Council also gave Buttler an official warning for his reaction to Mortaza and Sabbir's celebrations following his dismissal after a TV review which proved to be pivotal in Sunday night's match in Dhaka.
     After England made a poor start in their reply to Bangladesh's total of 238-8, Buttler was threatening to turn the match on its head with a run-a-ball innings of 57 which was ended in controversial fashion.
     The on-field umpire had initially turned down Taskin Ahmed's lbw appeal against Buttler, but Bangladesh sought a television review which confirmed the ball hit him plumb in his back foot and left England 123-7.
     The verdict triggered lively celebrations in the Bangladesh camp, with several players exchanging words with the ...

Bangladesh skipper fined over Buttler bust-up

A Vietnamese activist was arrested today outside a prison where she was visiting a fellow dissident, her family has said, blaming the government for jailing her for having the "courage to speak the truth".
	The one-party state has come under fire for routinely jailing dissident bloggers, activists and lawyers who rights groups say are subject to arbitrary arrest and detention.
	Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, 37, was arrested for "anti-state propaganda" outside a jail in south-central Nha Trang city where she was visiting another activist, her mother told AFP.
	"She was arrested this morning outside a jail. They took her home in handcuffs, searched our house for several hours and took her away," Nguyen Thi Tuyet Lan said.
	"According to the arrest warrant they read, she will be kept for four months."
	Quynh, more commonly known as Me Nam, has written posts in support of anti-China protesters and accusing the government of right abuses on her Facebook page.
	"The arrest is simply a retaliation .

Vietnamese activist arrested for 'anti-state propaganda'

Foreign Policy, a leading US international affairs magazine, has endorsed a presidential candidate for the first time, backing Hillary Clinton and slamming Donald Trump as "the worst major-party candidate for the job in US history."
	As "we deeply value our relationship with all of our readers, regardless of political orientation... FP's editors are now breaking with tradition to endorse Hillary Clinton for the next president of the United States," they said in an editorial yesterday.
	"The litany of reasons Trump poses such a threat is so long that it is, in fact, shocking that he is a major party's candidate for the presidency.
	"The recent furor over his vile behavior with women illustrates the extraordinary nature of his unsuitability, as does his repudiation by so many members of his own party -- who have so many reasons to reflexively support their nominee."
	Foreign Police said Trump  was unqualified to lead the international community as US president.
	The Republican business .

Foreign Policy backs Clinton in landmark move

Randgold Resources said today the government of Mali had closed its offices in the capital Bamako over a USD 230 million tax claim that the South African gold producer is contesting.
	In a statement, Randgold Resources said it was disappointed at Bamako's move but insisted that "the closure does not affect the operations of its three mines in Mali."
	The London- and New York-quoted firm added it had been professionally advised "that a large proportion of the tax claims received from the state of Mali in respect of its operations in that country are without merit or foundation.
	"Following the appropriate legal process, it is strongly defending its position in relation to these claims."
	Randgold also noted that the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes had recently awarded USD 29.2 million plus costs to its Loulo operation for taxes which the centre found the Malian government had wrongly collected.
	"We have continued to engage with the Malian authorities at the .

Randgold's Mali offices closed in tax dispute

A British former war correspondent and an Australian man have been arrested on Indonesia's Bali island for alleged hashish possession and could face up to 20 years in jail, police said today.
	The Briton, David Fox, and Australian, businessman Giuseppe Serafino, were detained on Saturday for allegedly possessing small quantities of the drug.
	Fox, who has covered conflicts and natural disasters around the world, told police he had been using hashish for years due to the stress of covering war zones.
	"He started using hashish because of a work assignment as a Reuters journalist reporting from a conflict zone in Somalia," said Nyoman Artana, deputy police chief in the Balinese capital Denpasar.
	Fox, 54, worked for the Thomson Reuters news agency for over 20 years and covered conflicts and natural disasters in countries including Bosnia, Rwanda, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq. He left the agency in 2011.
	Authorities raided Serafino's house in Sanur, in the south of the resort island, .

British ex-war correspondent arrested in Bali drugs case

British-American economist Oliver Hart and Bengt Holmstrom of Finland today won the Nobel Economics Prize for their work on contract theory, the jury said.
	"This year's laureates have developed contract theory, a comprehensive framework for analysing many diverse issues in contractual design, like performance-based pay for top executives, deductibles and co-pays in insurance, and the privatisation of public-sector activities," it said.
	"The new theoretical tools created by Hart and Holmstrom are valuable to the understanding of real-life contracts and institutions, as well as potential pitfalls in contract design."
	Their groundbreaking work has laid "an intellectual foundation" for designing policies and institutions in many areas, from bankruptcy legislation to political constitutions.
	Hart, born in 1948, is an economics professor at Harvard University in the United States, while Holmstrom is a professor of economics and management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
	The ..

Contract theory earns pair Nobel Economics Prize

At least 10 people were killed in clashes between the army and suspected Ugandan rebels in east DR Congo, a local activist said today, in an area that has suffered a string of massacres since 2014.
	The rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces, a partly Islamist armed group of Ugandan origin, are accused of a litany of human rights abuses and being involved with kidnappings and smuggling.
	"Suspected ADF attacked Beni from the north overnight... Eight civilians were shot dead, a soldier was killed and a suspected ADF militant was also killed," the local civil society leader, Gilbert Kambale, told AFP.
	"The armed forces of the DRC intercepted the ADF and in the exchanges of fire civilians and soldiers were killed," said the army's spokesman in the region Mak Hazukay by telephone.
	"Workers from Beni town hall are currently transferring the bodies of the suspected ADF (member) and eight other bodies to a large vehicle," Rossy Mupenda, a motorcycle taxi driver who was assisting with the ..

AFP

AFP

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