The UN today hailed this year's Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, for his "political courage" and voiced hope the award would boost his country's troubled peace process.
	The UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, "would obviously hope that this gives a big boost to the peace process which has been going through a bit of a rollercoaster in the past two weeks," his spokesman Rupert Colville told reporters in Geneva.
	Today's announcement by the Norwegian Nobel Committee came as a surprise after Colombian voters rejected the terms of a historic deal Santos reached last month with FARC rebel chief Rodrigo Londono, alias Timoleon "Timochenko" Jimenez, after nearly four years of talks.
	Handing the award to Santos despite the shock referendum vote "is clearly recognition by the Nobel Committee of just how important the peace process in Colombia is," Colville said.
	The Colombia conflict has killed more than 260,000 people and left 45,000 missing over five .

UN hopes Nobel win will boost Colombia peace process

PTI Automatic

President Juan Manuel Santos today said receiving the Nobel Prize would be "a great stimulus" for Colombian efforts to achieve peace, in an interview with the Nobel Foundation.
	"The message is that we have to persevere and reach the end of this war. We are very, very close, we just need to push a bit further," he said.
	"This (prize) is going to be a great stimulus to reach that end and to start the construction of peace in Colombia.

Santos says prize 'a great stimulus' in quest for peace: Nobel

An employee is seen walking over a mosaic of pound sterling symbols set in the floor of the front hall of the Bank of England in London.  Photo: Reuters

A spokesman for the Bank of England told AFP that it was "looking into" the cause of the flash crash

Flash crash rocks pound as Hollande warns on Brexit

Agencies

Twenty-two soldiers have been killed in an attack blamed on jihadists against a camp in Niger sheltering Malian refugees, a security official said today.
	The attack against the camp in Tazalit, in the Tahoua region some 300 kilometres northeast of the capital Niamey, took place in broad daylight yesterday.
	"Some 30 to 40 heavily armed men speaking in Tuareg carried out the attack, killing 22 soldiers," the official, who asked not to be named, told AFP.
	He said the attack was "probably carried out by jihadists."
	The UN refugee agency, which confirmed the death toll, said in a statement that five soldiers were also hurt in the attack, while three managed to escape.
	The assailants "headed directly to the camp's security post and machine-gunned the soldiers who were having lunch," the security official added.
	They left two hours later after seizing three vehicles, including an ambulance, as well as weapons, food and clothing.
	The UN refugee agency says more than 50,000 Malians have 

22 soldiers killed in attack on Niger refugee camp

The Bank of England is "looking into" what caused the pound to slump more than six percent against the dollar in less than ten minutes today, a spokesman said.
	"We are looking into what happened," he told AFP after sterling suffered a "flash crash" in Asia trading hours - hitting a new 31-year low point at USD 1.1841.
	The pound slumped also to a 6.5-year trough against the euro, at 94.15 pence.

Bank of England says 'looking into' pound flash crash

A piece of wing debris found in Mauritius is from MH370, Australian authorities said today as they cautioned the discovery shed no new light on the missing passenger jet's specific location.
	The composite debris, recovered from the island nation in May, is the latest fragment found along western Indian Ocean shorelines linked to Malaysia Airlines MH370.
	The Boeing 777 disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014 carrying 239 passengers and crew.
	Despite an extensive underwater search in the southern Indian Ocean far off Western Australia's coast where investigators believe the plane crashed, no trace of the aircraft has been found there.
	The wing part "was a trailing edge section of Boeing 777 left, outboard flap, originating from the Malaysian Airlines aircraft registered 9M-MRO (MH370)", the government agency leading the search, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), said in a report.
	"A part number was identified on a section of the debris," the ..

Mauritius wing debris from missing MH370: Australia

Nico Rosberg gave his wounded team-mate Lewis Hamilton plenty to think about by topping the timesheets in both practice sessions Friday for this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.
	   The German, who has a 23-point championship lead over Hamilton with five races left this year, pipped the triple world champion by two tenths in the morning sunshine and just 0.072sec under cloudy skies in the afternoon.
	   Rosberg struck a psychological blow in the Formula One title run-in as he chases his fourth win in five races, despite complaining of "monster understeer" in the early jousting between the fierce Mercedes rivals.
	   "It's been a case of finding my way today," said Rosberg. "It looks like we're ahead of the Ferraris but it remains to be seen as to where we are compared to the Red Bulls."
	   Hamilton has had a tumultuous few days after a blown engine robbed the Briton of victory last weekend.
	   After controversially hinting that his Malaysia heartbreak was a result of sabotage from ...

First blood to rampant Rosberg in Japan

Turkish police have detained a suspected militant from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) who is believed to have perpetrated a motorbike bombing near an Istanbul police station, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported today.
	The woman suspect was captured along with two other people in Aksaray province in central Turkey, carrying a fake passport, Anadolu said.
	The latest capture brings the total number of arrests up to six in connection with Thursday's bombing in the Yenibosna district of Istanbul, close to the city's main international airport.
	At least 10 people were wounded when a bomb which authorities said was attached to a motorbike exploded. Television pictures showed several cars wrecked and shards of glass scattering the ground after the blast.
	No group has claimed the attack yet.
	The PKK, listed as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies, has resumed deadly attacks since the collapse of a fragile truce in 2015.
	Over 40,000 people have been killed ..

Turkey police detain suspected PKK militant over attack:report

Efforts by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos to end five decades of war in his country were recognised with the Nobel Peace Prize today.
	The award came despite voters' shock rejection of the terms of a historic deal he reached last month with FARC chief Rodrigo Londono, alias Timoleon "Timochenko" Jimenez, after nearly four years of talks.
	"The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2016 to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos for his resolute efforts to bring the country's more than 50-year-long civil war to an end," said committee chairwoman Kaci Kullmann Five.

Colombian president wins Nobel Prize for peace efforts

Colombian president wins Nobel Prize for peace efforts.

Kim Jong Un

Satellite images showing continuous activity around north, west and south portals have surfaced on 38 North website

Activity spotted at North Korean nuclear sites, speculations rife over tests

Press Trust of India

Florida is facing the most dangerous storm in living memory as Hurricane Matthew barrels in from the Atlantic threatening coastal cities with surging tides, torrential rain and 130 mile-an-hour winds.
	After cutting a deadly swath across the Caribbean and leaving at least 264 dead in Haiti, the Category Four storm was to crash up against the southeastern US early today.
	Over the course of the day it will scour its way up a 600-mile (965-kilometer) strip of coast from Boca Raton in Florida to just north of Charleston, South Carolina, driving seawater and heavy rain inland.
	Only a handful of hurricanes of this strength have ever made landfall in Florida, and none since 1898 has threatened to scythe its way north along low-lying, densely populated coast into Georgia and beyond.
	Evacuation orders were issued for areas covering at least three million residents and major cities like Jacksonville, Florida and Savannah, Georgia lay in the path of the terrible storm.
	Daytona Beach imposed .

US coast evacuated as historic hurricane bears down

Pakistan will warm up for their first day-night Test against Australia with a match under lights in the tropical city of Cairns, Cricket Australia said Friday.
     The world number one Test team will play a Cricket Australia XI in Queensland's far north from December 8-10.
     The match will feature a pink ball and provide Pakistan with their major lead-up game to the first Test against Steve Smith's Australians at Brisbane's Gabba stadium from December 15-19.
     Day-night Tests using a pink ball are a central part of Australia's home international schedule for 2016-17, which also includes hosting South Africa.
     It will be the first international match in Cairns since the resort town hosted Tests against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 2003 and 2004.
     Cricket Australia head of operations Sean Cary said Cairns was an ideal venue to host the tour match.
     "The lighting at Cazalys Stadium is very good and the overall playing conditions are first-class," he said.
     "The ...

Pakistan get day-night Test warm-up in Australia

Edgbaston will host the first day/night Test ever staged in the United Kingdom when England face the West Indies in Birmingham in August next year, the England and Wales Cricket Board has announced.
     England are now in line to become the third nation to stage a five-day Test under floodlights, following Australia's day/night Test against New Zealand in Adelaide last year and with Pakistan due to play the West Indies in a day/night Test in the United Arab Emirates next week.
     A pink ball will be used, with players wearing traditional whites rather than coloured clothing.
     The aim, as with all floodlit matches, is to encourage those who are at work during the day to attend.
     Subject to confirmation from the International Cricket Council (ICC), the August 17-21 match between England and the West Indies, the first of a three-Test series, will have playing hours of 2:00pm-9:00pm local (1300-2000 GMT), rather than the English standard Test times of 11:00am-6:00pm (1000-1700 .

England to host their first day/night Test against West Indies

Neymar scored one goal and set up two more as Brazil turned on the style with a 5-0 thrashing of Bolivia in South America's 2018 World Cup qualifying competition on Thursday.
     Barcelona superstar Neymar's 49th international goal in his 73rd appearance took him one clear of Zico on Brazil's all-time topscorer's list.
     Still only 24, Neymar should reach Pele's all-time record of 77 goals from 91 games with something to spare if he continues to score at his present rate.
     The Brazilian talisman was eventually substituted midway through the second half at the Estadio das Dunas in Natal, leaving the field to a loud ovation for his role in another impressive Brazilian win.
     Brazil's victory left them comfortably on course to secure their place at the 2018 finals in Russia. The Brazilians are now second in the standings with 18 points from nine games.
     It was also a third consecutive victory from three games for new manager Tite, who was appointed after the sacking of ...

Neymar dazzles as Brazil thrash Bolivia

World pole vault champion Shawn Barber was allowed to compete at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics despite testing positive for cocaine shortly before the games after a one-night stand with a woman he met online, it has emerged.
     In a ruling made public nearly two months after the case was heard, the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) said Canadian star Barber escaped a ban after arguing that the cocaine entered his system after a hotel sex session he arranged via Craigslist.
     "I am happy to have this behind me so that I can move on with my career with a free conscience," Barber said in a statement released via Athletics Canada.
     "At no time during my actions, did I even fathom the possibility of being able to be contaminated with cocaine. This is a learning experience that I hope other athletes can learn from as I have," the 2015 world champion added.
     Barber, 22, tested positive for the drug on July 9 after competing at the Canadian Championships in ...

Barber escapes ban for cocaine after hotel tryst

South American champions Chile suffered another jolt to their 2018 World Cup qualification hopes, crashing to a 3-0 defeat against Ecuador to remain outside the qualification places.
     Chile, the region's dominant side over the past two years with back-to-back Copa America wins, were torn apart as Ecuador produced a rampant display at the Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa.
     Goals from Manchester United's Antonio Valencia, Ferencvaros's Cristian Ramirez and Espanyol's Felipe Caicedo secured the points for the hosts.
     Chile have never won a competitive fixture in Quito, which is some 9,000 feet (2,743 meters) above sea level. That long record of failure never looked like coming to an end as Ecuador poured forward from the kick off with relentless pressure.
     The opening goal came after 19 minutes, when Enner Valencia picked out Antonio Valencia on the edge of the area.
     The Manchester United player made no mistake with an emphatic finish that thundered into the bottom corner .

Chile crash again in Ecuador drubbing

The expansion of Roland Garros, the historic but cramped home of the French Open, suffered a new legal blow Thursday when the Paris High Court ordered a halt to building work.
     In the latest setback to the long-running saga involving the 400-million-euro ($448 million) redevelopment of the site in the plush western sector of Paris, the Tribunal de Grande Instance (TGI) ordered an interim suspension.
     It came just three days after a different court had given the green light.
     On Monday, the French Conseil d'Etat (Council of State) overturned a March ruling that blocked development of a new 5,000-seat stadium in the Serres d'Auteuil due to protests over the impact the work would have on the botanical garden's historic greenhouses which date back to the 19th century.
     It was the heirs of the architect of the greenhouses, Jean-Camille Formige, who successfully sought the latest stoppage to the work with the TGI ruling that the Council of State had breached an earlier legal 

Roland Garros work halted again -- after three days

Two Czech internationals were fined Thursday for telling a woman referee to "go back to the kitchen" after she failed to whistle for an offside decision.
     Sparta Prague goalkeeper Tomas Koubek and midfielder Lukas Vacha were each fined 40,000 koruna (1,500 euros) and ordered to conduct a training session for the club's junior side for their outbursts after Sunday's 3-3 draw with Zbrojovka Brno.
     They had already been ordered by their club to spend a number of days training with Sparta's women's team.
     The pair believed that referee Lucie Ratajova should have blown for an offside in the move which led to Zbrojovka's final goal of the game.
     "Women should stay in the kitchen and not referee men's matches," said Koubek.
     Vacha echoed his teammate's complaints on social media, telling Ratajova to go "to the kitchen".
     Richard Bacek, the head of the Czech league's disciplinary committee, told the pair they had a duty "to behave professionally".
     Meanwhile, ...

Czech stars fined for 'go back to kitchen' woman ref blast

Australia's world No.1 Jason Day Friday pulled out of next month's World Cup in Melbourne with a back injury.
     The 10-time PGA Tour winner was planning on returning home to play in the November 23-27 event at the Kingston Heath course for the first time since he and countryman Adam Scott won the event in 2013.
     "I regret that I will be unable to come home to Australia this year," Day said in a statement.
     "I was looking forward to playing in the Australian Open and teaming up with Adam Scott on one of my favourite courses Kingston Heath the following week at the World Cup in Melbourne.
     "My plan is to return home to Australia in 2017. My best wishes to Adam and Team Australia at the World Cup."
     Day tore a ligament in his back towards the end of the 2016 PGA Tour season, forcing his withdrawal from the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship.
     He has been advised to rest until next year and the prospect of a long trip to Australia in the midst of his ...

Day out of World Cup with back injury

Daniele De Rossi's late penalty rescued a point for Italy against Spain in a heavyweight World Cup qualifier on Thursday, as Wales played out an entertaining draw in Austria.
     Spain dominated possession against the Italians in Turin and looked set to come away with a precious victory when Vitolo pounced on an uncharacteristic error by Gianluigi Buffon to put the visitors in front.
     Veteran goalkeeper Buffon, winning his 164th cap, raced off his line in the 55th minute to try to cut out a Sergio Busquets through ball only to swipe at thin air and leave Sevilla winger Vitolo with an easy finish.
     Julen Lopetegui's Spain looked set to gain revenge for their 2-0 defeat to Italy in the last 16 at Euro 2016 in June, but they were denied by a late penalty.
     When Eder went down under a Sergio Ramos challenge, German referee Felix Brych consulted his assistant before pointing to the spot. Roma midfielder De Rossi stepped up to send David de Gea the wrong way and make it 1-1 ...

AFP

AFP

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