Brazilians furious at recession and corruption are expected to punish the long dominant Workers' Party in municipal elections today amid heightened security after a series of murders of candidates.
	The main battles in the first round of the nationwide polls are in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil's economic capital Sao Paulo, where the incumbent Workers' Party mayor, Fernando Haddad, risks being knocked out.
	That beating for the left is expected to extend through much of the Latin American giant.
	"The mayors' posts held by the Workers' Party will fall to less than half of those they won four years ago," political analyst David Fleischer at Brasilia University said, predicting "disaster for the party."
	Brazilians want change as they struggle through a devastating recession and the fallout from a massive embezzlement and bribery scheme centered on prestigious state oil company Petrobras.
	The polls also come just weeks after Dilma Rousseff of the Workers' Party was thrown out of the ...

Brazilians set to punish the left in polls

PTI Automatic

Daniel Ricciardo led a Red Bull one-two as a distraught Lewis Hamilton's hopes of regaining the world championship lead went up in smoke at a dramatic, action-packed Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.
     Hamilton was leading with 15 laps to go when his engine exploded at the Sepang International Circuit.
     "No, no," cried the Englishman as flames appeared at the back of his car, leaving Ricciardo to take the lead ahead of teammate Max Verstappen.
     Championship leader Nico Rosberg survived a first-bend spin involving Sebastian Vettel and a 10-second penalty to take third place and extend the gap over Mercedes teammate Hamilton to 23 points with just five races remaining.
     Hamilton was almost in tears with his head in his hands after the dramatic end to his race which has dealt a severe blow to his chances of securing a third drivers' championship in a row.
     He had looked all set to snatch back the lead from Rosberg, who was relegated from second on the grid to 21st after .

Ricciardo wins drama-filled Malaysian GP

A furious Lewis Hamilton lashed out at his Mercedes team Sunday, saying "someone doesn't want me to win" after his engine exploded into flames during the Malaysian Grand Prix.
     "No, no," cried the Englishman as flames appeared at the back of his car when leading on lap 41 of the 56-lap race at Sepang International Circuit.
     He had looked certain to leapfrog Nico Rosberg at the top of the standings when his power unit -- the eighth he has used this season -- let go in the most spectacular fashion.
     Instead, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen enjoyed a one-two for Red Bull and Rosberg took the third podium place to increase his lead in the standings from eight to 23 points with five races remaining.
     A highly emotional Hamilton, who has suffered numerous mechanical failures this season as he attempts to secure a third drivers title in a row, implied that Mercedes were favouring their German driver Rosberg.
     "My question is to Mercedes: we have so many engines made ..

Why always me? Hamilton fury at engine failures

The names of people being investigated for playing "an active role" in the downing of flight MH17 will be confirmed by early 2017, Australia's foreign minister said today as she raised the prospect of a Lockerbie-style prosecution.
	Australia is part of the Dutch-led criminal inquiry into the crash of the Malaysia Airlines jet in conflict-torn eastern Ukraine in July 2014, which killed all 298 people on board including 38 Australian citizens and residents.
	The initial findings released earlier this week concluded the Boeing 777 aircraft was shot down by a missile transported from Russia.
	The investigation also "identified approximately 100 people" believed to have had an "active role" in transporting the missile system.
	"I expect that by the end of the year, maybe early next year, the list of those that we believe should be held accountable will be confirmed and then there must be a prosecution," Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told the Australian Broadcasting ...

People responsible for MH17 'confirmed' by 2017: Australia

Civilians under bombardment in Syria's rebel-held east Aleppo are facing "a level of savagery that no human should have to endure," the UN aid chief said today.
	Stephen O'Brien, who heads the United Nations humanitarian office (OCHA), issued a fresh plea to ease the suffering of some 250,000 people besieged by a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive to retake the key city.
	In a statement, O'Brien called for "urgent action to bring an end to their living hell."
	Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is battling to reclaim Aleppo, once the country's economic powerhouse. Diplomatic efforts to stem the bloodshed have failed.
	"The healthcare system in eastern Aleppo is all but obliterated," O'Brien said, after the largest hospital in the rebel-controlled area was hit by barrel bombs on Saturday.
	"Medical facilities are being hit one by one," he added.
	O'Brien urged warring parties to at the very least allow medical evacuations for the hundreds of civilians in urgent need of care.
	The 

Syria's east Aleppo facing inhuman 'savagery': UN

Iran's auditors said today that around 400 public sector officials face prosecution over their exorbitant salaries - a scandal used by hardliners to tarnish the government ahead of next year's election.
	A report by the Audit Court found that executives at state-owned banks had earned as much as 622 million rials (USD 20,000) per month - compared to average public sector salaries of USD 400.
	Ali Larijani, the parliament speaker, said the salaries were "a stain" on Iran's public sector, and that legal cases had been opened against all 397 officials who earned more than 200 million rials.
	"I hope (the report) will be the source of fundamental reform in the country so that individuals cannot take advantage (of the system)," he said, according to the Fars news agency.
	"So far 50 billion rials of unconventional salaries have been refunded to the Treasury and the rest must be refunded as well," he said.
	The scandal broke in May when leaked payslips were published by conservative media ..

Iran to prosecute 400 officials over high salaries

Three people were injured today after Hong Kong police fired shots to stop a knife attack on a man, in a rare case of violent street crime in one of Asia's safest cities.
	Police said those wounded were two assailants and the man being attacked, and that all three were of "South Asian" origin.
	"Five to six...Men, with some carrying knives, were attacking another man," police officer Ma Wai-hing told reporters at the scene of the incident in the city's commercial district of Yau Ma Tei.
	No further details were given about the attack.
	"After verbal warnings were ignored, four shots were fired. Two men were shot," he said. The pair were arrested and hospitalised with wounds to the forearm and waist. They, along with the knife attack victim, are in a stable condition, Ma said.
	Footage uploaded to the website of Chinese language newspaper Apple Daily showed a uniformed officer pointing a gun at a group of men -- some of whom were wielding knives over a man on the ground -- before shots 

Hong Kong police fire shots in knife attack, three injured

Two months after its priest was murdered by teenage jihadists, parishioners of a Catholic church in northern France will gather today for a solemn re-opening ceremony to seek solace and solidarity.
	The Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray church, a focal point of a small town of some 27,000 near the city of Rouen, will hold a special penitential mass to mark the occasion and pay tribute to Father Jacques Hamel.
	The 85-year-old priest had his throat slit at the foot of the altar on July 26 in an attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.
	"He was a good priest. I always went to see him and he never refused to be of service," said 81-year-old Mafalda Pace, who lives just next door to the 16th-century church.
	Pace said yesterday she would be among those following the penitential rite of cleansing and subsequent mass presided over by Archbishop of Rouen Dominique Lebrun.
	"The rite consists of 'cleansing' the church through the sprinkling of holy water," said the archbishop, who also ...

French church where priest slain to reopen

Islamic militants in the Philippines have freed three Indonesian sailors abducted at sea, officials said, in the latest release by the Abu Sayyaf group after a kidnapping spree in the restive south.
	The Abu Sayyaf handed over the three men on Jolo island to a major rebel group which then released them to authorities today, government peace negotiator Jesus Dureza said.
	"The turnover was smooth and now the three will get a medical check-up and a debriefing before being turned over to an Indonesian representative," Dureza told AFP.
	The three were part of a group of sailors abducted by the Abu Sayyaf in June, authorities said. The terms of the release were not disclosed, but the Abu Sayyaf typically releases hostages after hefty ransom payments are paid.
	Indonesia's foreign minister Retno Marsudi also confirmed the three hostages - Ferry Arifin, Edi Suryono and Muhamad Mabrur Dahri - had been freed and would be handed over to a team from the Indonesian embassy.
	Today's handover was .

Philippine militants free three Indonesian hostages

Almost two-thirds of Israelis believe there will never be a peace agreement with the Palestinians, according to the results of an opinion poll published today.
	Sixty-four per cent of the 646 Israeli and Arab Israeli respondents questioned said a peace accord would never be reached, in the survey conducted by the Project HaMidgam institute for the Walla news website.
	Twenty-four per cent believed an accord was possible but that it would take longer than five years to achieve, while four percent thought it could be attained within five years.
	The remaining eight per cent were undecided in the poll, whose margin of error was not published.
	The peace process between Israel and the Palestinians has been comatose since the collapse of a US-led initiative in April 2014.

Two-thirds of Israelis don't expect peace deal: poll

Thousands of Vietnamese protesters surrounded a Taiwanese steel plant today, some scaling walls and holding signs demanding its closure, as anger flares against the firm for dumping toxic waste into the ocean killing tonnes of fish.
	Huge crowds on motorbike and foot gathered at the Formosa plant in central Ha Tinh province, with some holding signs saying: "Authorities, please close Formosa plant for the future of the nation" as others chanted angrily.
	Dead fish and other marine life began washing ashore in central Vietnam in April, the country's worst ecological disaster in decades that devastated livelihoods in coastal towns where fishing is the main source of income.
	Taiwan's Formosa, which is building a multi-billion dollar steel plant in the area, was blamed for the disaster and fined USD 500 million.
	The government said it would start paying affected fishermen in October and confirmed last week that payouts would range from USD 130 to USD 1,600 per person depending on losses .

Thousands protest steel plant over Vietnam fish deaths

Hungarians today began voting on the EU's troubled refugee quota plan, in a referendum aimed at boosting Prime Minister Viktor Orban's self-styled campaign to defend Europe against the "threat of mass migration".
	While there is little doubt that his 'No' camp will comfortably win, the poll could still end in embarrassment for Orban if it fails to reach the required 50-percent turnout and is deemed invalid.
	To avoid this, the right-wing government has led a fierce media offensive urging the eight-million-strong electorate to spurn the EU deal, which seeks to share migrants around the 28-member bloc via mandatory quotas without the consent of national parliaments.
	Polling stations opened at 0930 IST and will close at 1030 IST, with results expected later in the evening.
	Orban warned yesterday that mass migration was a "threat... To Europe's safe way of life" and that Hungarians had "a duty" to fight the failed "liberal methods" of the "Brussels elite".
	"We can send a message to ...

Hungary PM banks on anti-migrant vote to defy EU 'elite'

Swords, axe handles, kebab skewers and even a model boat were among the bizarre array of objects pushed through devotees' cheeks today as southern Thailand's gruesome vegetarian festival got under way.
	Many Chinese communities across Southeast Asia go vegetarian this week for the annual Taoist "Nine Emperor Gods" festival but few do it with quite the gusto and shock factor of Phuket's inhabitants.
	Throughout the week devotees show their religious devotion through ritualistic self-mutilation and pain trials, including running over hot coals and piercing their bodies with an astonishing - and stomach-turning - variety of objects.
	At a temple on the outskirts of Phuket's main town today, dozens of people put themselves to the test.
	Dressed in flowing robes they worked themselves into a trance-like frenzy against a constant backdrop of drums, a status they say allows them to feel no pain.
	One man shook his head from side to side before another created a hole in his cheek with a large 

Swords and skewers at Thailand's gruesome vegetarian festival

Hillary Clinton has said she raised a record USD 154 million in September in her race for the White House against Donald Trump.
	In August, Clinton raised USD 143 million and Trump USD 90 million. It is common for campaign donations to increase as the election approaches. This year the voting is on November 8.
	The money is in fact divided between Clinton's campaign and the Democratic Party.
	Individual Americans can donate up to USD 2,700 to a candidate in a general election. Anything beyond USD 2,700 has to go to committees other than that of the candidate.
	Clinton and her Democratic allies begin the month of October with a war chest of USD 150 million to blitz TV, radio and the internet with ads.
	More than 900,000 people made a donation in September and 2.6 million have done so since the beginning of the race, the Clinton campaign said.
	The Trump campaign has not yet released a figure for September.
	Clinton relies more than Trump on elite private fundraising events in which a ..

Clinton says campaign donations hit record $154 mln in Sep

Moving closer to their first Ryder Cup victory since 2008, the United States captured Saturday's three final four-ball matches to seize a 9 1/2 - 6 1/2 edge over Europe.
     Heckling crowds that Europe star Rory McIlroy says have gone over the top with insults at Hazeltine were delighted as the Americans put themselves in prime position to snap a three-edition losing streak in the biennial team golf showdown.
     "We always get criticized -- we don't bond as a team, we don't have enough passion -- and this time we've taken it personally," US captain Davis Love said. "We're in a good position. I'm very elated."
     Personally is how McIlroy, who won in four-balls and alternate shot matches Saturday with Belgian partner Thomas Pieters, has taken spectators' taunts.
     "I think there have been some boundaries overstepped out there," McIlroy said. "I let it get to me a couple times when I shouldn't have. You're going to let it get to you when emotions are running this high."
     ...

US stretches Ryder Cup lead as Rory rips hecklers

Opener Tamim Iqbal smashed a brilliant century as Bangladesh crushed Afghanistan by 141 runs in the third one-day international (ODI) to clinch the three-match series 2-1 in Dhaka.
     Tamim helped Bangladesh reach 279-8 with 118 in as many balls, his seventh ODI century - the highest for his country - before the home side dismissed Afghanistan for 138 runs in 33.5 overs in a lopsided contest at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.
     Left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain grabbed 3-24 runs playing his first match in more than eight years while paceman Taskin Ahmed chipped in with 2-31.
     This was Bangladesh's sixth consecutive series victory in ODIs. The winning streak started in November 2014 when they blanked Zimbabwe 5-0 at home.
     The purple patch also included three series wins against much fancied Pakistan, India and South Africa. During the period, Bangladesh also reached the World Cup quarter-finals in Australia-New Zealand last year.
     The victory in the ...

Bangladesh crush Afghanistan to win series

Nigeria's central bank governor today confirmed his wife had been kidnapped and held for 24 hours before being freed, in the latest high-profile abduction in the country's south.
	Godwin Emefiele said in a statement that he "thanked God Almighty for the life of his dear wife, who was rescued on Friday night", praising security agencies for their swift action.
	The governor's wife, Margaret Emefiele, was seized on the road from Benin City in Edo state, southern Nigeria, to Agbor, in neighbouring Delta state, on Thursday, according to a federal police source.
	"Five other persons were kidnapped along with her," said the source. "They are her driver and four other women with whom she was travelling."
	Security officials secured her release at about 12:30 am on Saturday (2330 GMT yesterday) and she was taken to the Delta state police headquarters in Asaba. The other four people were also freed.
	Governor Emefiele described the experience as "harrowing" and pledged to do his job ...

Nigeria central bank governor confirms wife kidnapped,released

The embattled head of the Spanish Socialists Pedro Sanchez resigned today after losing a vote among top party members, in a move that could pave the way to unblocking the country's political paralysis.
	His resignation, which he announced to a gathering in Madrid of the roughly 300 members of the party's federal committee, could see the party lift its veto on a new government led by acting conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.
	Since December 2015, the country has been without a fully-functioning executive as rivals have failed to agree on a government following two elections in which none of the main parties won an absolute majority.
	Sanchez's announcement came after 17 of his 35-strong executive quit together on Wednesday in a bid to force the 44-year-old Socialist Party (PSOE) leader out.
	His detractors want the party to use the 85 parliamentary seats it won in June polls to help unblock the national deadlock and allow Rajoy to lead a right-wing government by abstaining in a 

Spain's Socialist Party chief steps down

Hillary Clinton has been rewarded with a sizeable poll bump on the heels of her commanding presidential debate performance, surveys showed today, while Donald Trump remained bogged down by his row with a former beauty queen.
	Trump had erased an advantage in polls enjoyed by his Democratic rival, but the latest average posted by RealClear Politics now shows Clinton ahead by three percentage points, 43.8 to 40.9 per cent.
	Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson nabbed 7.3 per cent.
	Those nationwide poll results come as Clinton's numbers also improve in a number of critical swing states -- including the coveted battlegrounds of Florida, Nevada and New Hampshire -- following Monday's heated debate watched by some 84 million people.
	A Clinton victory in next month's election, however, is by no means in the bag.	Pollsters are still awaiting a verdict from undecided voters in Ohio, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, where Trump is slated to hold a rally late today.
	Democrats are recruiting ...

Clinton resurgent, while Trump stalls

French police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse some 200 migrants and activists after clashes broke out today as they attempted to hold a banned rally by the squalid "Jungle" camp in Calais, regional authorities said.
	Three police officers were slightly injured from stones hurled by some of the migrants, they added.
	A demonstration in support of the migrants had been planned for today but it was banned by local authorities.
	Then on today afternoon, "200 people, mainly from the No Borders group and migrants gathered in front of  the CRS (riot police)" on the outskirts of the camp, said Etienne Desplanques, an official of the Pas-de-Calais region.
	Since the gathering was banned, police sought to push the protesters back inside the camp, he said.
	Resorting to tear gas and water cannon, police brought the situation under control in 20 minutes, he added.
	An AFP photographer said he was also slightly injured from the stone-throwing.
	Between 7,000 and 10,000 migrants are ...

French police, migrants clash near Calais camp

Israel has approved the construction of 98 settler homes in the occupied West Bank and an industrial zone near Palestinian political capital Ramallah, the watchdog Peace Now said today.
	"At a time when world leaders met to commemorate (former Israeli premier) Shimon Peres and the way he advocated for peace, the Israeli government has created a new obstacle to a two-state solution," a Peace Now spokeswoman said.
	Peres, 93, died on Wednesday and was buried yesterday at a Jerusalem ceremony attended by many world leaders including President Barack Obama of the United States, which has tried to broker new Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

AFP

AFP

Page 1422 - Afp