The bodies of nine murder victims have been found in a river in western Mexico, near a lake popular among American expatriates, authorities have said.
	Eight men and one woman were recovered between Monday and Wednesday in the Lerma River and authorities are still searching for other possible victims, said Eduardo Almaguer yesterday, the top prosecutor in Jalisco state.
	At least two victims had bullet wounds and two others were mutilated, but Almaguer did not give more details about the way the rest were killed.
	"All the bodies show signs of violence," he said, adding that they were found near the mouth of the river, which flows into Lake Chapala.
	The bodies were recovered in a fishing area but the lake is also surrounded by a large expat community.
	The western state has been hit by violence perpetrated by the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel, one of Mexico's most powerful and violent criminal groups.
	But Almaguer said it was unclear where the bodies were dumped. Jalisco is ...

Nine murder victims found in western Mexican river

PTI Automatic

Gabon's opposition leader today called for sanctions against regime members he accused of electoral fraud and scorned any idea cooperating with re-elected head of state Ali Bongo.
	Jean Ping, a former foreign minister who according to official results lost narrowly to Bongo in the August 27 vote, said Gabon had been the victim of a "military-electoral coup d'etat."
	He called for "targeted sanctions against those responsible," including a freeze on assets held abroad and a ban on foreign travel.
	Bongo was installed on Tuesday for his second term as president, three days after the Constitutional Court rejected Ping's demand for a recount.
	In his first act after the court's announcement, Bongo had called for "all political leaders" to engage in a "dialogue" to steer the country out of crisis.
	His new prime minister, Emmanuel Ngondet, also tended an apparent olive branch today, saying negotiations were still under way for forming an "inclusive government" that would be unveiled on ...

Gabon opposition chief calls for sanctions after election loss

A packed commuter train ploughed into a station in New Jersey during the morning rush hour today, killing one person and injuring 108, some of them critically, the state's governor said.
	New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said the train entered the station at Hoboken "at a high rate of speed" and "crashed through the barriers, bringing it into the interior wall" of the terminal.
	A woman who was standing on the platform was hit and killed by debris from the crash, Christie told the news conference. She was the only confirmed fatality.
	The train's driver was in serious condition and being treated at a local hospital but was cooperating with the crash probe, he said.
	"We have no indication that this is anything but a tragic accident," Christie said, adding that an investigation was underway.
	Video and photos on social media showed major damage to the transit choke point just over the Hudson river from Manhattan, with the train tangled in wires and debris from what appeared to be ...

One dead, 108 hurt in New Jersey train crash: NJ governor

The massive theft of Yahoo user data disclosed last week came from "professional" hackers seeking to profit from the breach, according to an analysis by security researchers.
	The analysis published yesterday by the security firm InfoArmor, which claims to have seen some of the data, contrasts with Yahoo's claim that the attack was likely "state-sponsored," but did suggest that stolen data was sold to a state-sponsored group at one point.
	"Yahoo was compromised in 2014 by a group of professional blackhats (hackers) who were hired to compromise customer databases from a variety of different targeted organizations," the report said.
	The researchers said the first mention of Yahoo data for sale on "dark" online markets occurred in April 2016.
	They added that the vast majority of the data "is not legitimate," and includes invalid, deleted and nonexistent accounts but that the attackers "misrepresented this data set in order to sensationalize and sell it for the purpose of monetizing" ..

Yahoo hacked by 'professional' criminals: researchers

US Secretary of State John Kerry warned today that Washington was on the brink of ending its talks with Russia on the Syrian conflict over the assault on Aleppo.
	"I think we are on the verge of suspending the discussion because, you know, it's irrational in the context of the kind of bombing taking place, to be sitting there, trying to take things seriously," Kerry said.
	"There is no notion or indication of seriousness of purpose with what is taking place right now," he told a conference in the US capital, a day after warning his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov he would end talks unless Moscow halts the assault on Aleppo.
	Kerry said the United States would pursue other alternatives, "barring some clear indication by the warring parties that they are prepared to consider how to approach this more effectively."
	A Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Moscow would press on with its bombing campaign in Syria, where forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad are waging a furious ...

US 'on verge' of ending Syria talks with Russia: Kerry

The Saudi-led coalition killed eight civilians in two separate air strikes on rebel-controlled areas of northern Yemen today, a government official said.
	Warplanes from the coalition, which supports forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, hit "by mistake" a vehicle at Razah in Saada province, killing five civilians, said the official.
	Another air strike killed three civilians travelling in a vehicle in Shadeh, a village also located in Saada, said the same source.
	Saada province is a stronghold of the Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels who overran the capital Sanaa in September 2014 before going on to seize other provinces.
	Human rights groups accuse the coalition, which has stepped up its strikes against rebel positions especially in northern Yemen, of a string of such attacks that have killed civilians.
	On September 22, at least 20 civilians died in coalition air strikes on rebel-held Hodeida, in western Yemen, in what a government official said was a possible ...

Coalition raids kill 8 Yemeni civilians: govt official

The bid to launch an international probe into the conflict in Yemen failed today, in a defeat for the UN rights chief who demanded an inquiry.
	Rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said last month that a fully independent, international investigation was needed to end impunity for a raft of grave violations against the Yemeni people.
	A group of European states, led by the Netherlands, then spearheaded a push at the UN Human Rights Council for a resolution setting up an international inquiry.
	Saudi Arabia, which is leading a military coalition in support of the Yemen's government against Iran-backed Huthi rebels, has been staunchly opposed to such a probe.
	In the end, the EU-backed resolution was scrapped, leaving only a competing and far milder text on the table, drafted by Sudan.
	That resolution, which was adopted without a vote today, mandated Zeid's office to enhance cooperation with Yemen's own National Commission on the conflict.
	Rights groups including Amnesty International ..

Bid for international Yemen war probe fails at UN

Prisoners at a badly overcrowded facility in Sao Paulo state rioted and knocked down a fence to attempt a mass escape before being subdued today, Brazilian officials said.
	Conflicting reports emerged from the Jardinopolis Penitentiary, northwest of Brazil's biggest city, after the incident.
	The state prison service confirmed in a statement that there had been a riot, but said "prisoners who escaped were recaptured" and taken to another facility.
	However, Globo's G1 news site reported that of some 200 inmates who broke out, only 100 had been so far recaptured.
	Footage broadcast on Globo television showed smoke pouring from the Jardinopolis prison. Footage also showed a large section of prison fencing knocked down to the ground.
	One prisoner was shown running barefoot across a field and others were shown being apprehended outside the prison.
	Like many prisons in Brazil, Jardinopolis is heavily overcrowded, with a population of 1,864 but a capacity of only 1,080, according to the ..

Brazilian prisoners attempt mass breakout

Israeli leaders, former US president Bill Clinton and tens of thousands of mourners gathered outside parliament today to pay last respects to Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres, whose body was lying in state.
	A major security operation was being put in place ahead of Friday's funeral, which is to be attended by leaders from across the world, including US President Barack Obama and Britain's Prince Charles.
	In a rare visit to Jerusalem, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas was also planning to attend, Palestinian officials told AFP.
	Peres's death yesterday at age 93 after suffering a major stroke triggered an outpouring of grief and tributes that hailed the Israeli ex-president's transformation from hawk to fervent peace advocate.
	Today morning, a solemn ceremony saw President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, parliament speaker Yuli Edelstein and opposition leader Isaac Herzog lay wreaths beside Peres's flag-draped coffin at a plaza outside parliament.
	Later in ..

Clinton joins Israel in paying last respects to Peres

A packed commuter train ploughed into a station in New Jersey during the morning rush hour today, killing at least one person and injuring over 100, many of them critically.
	The train failed to stop as it sped into Hoboken station, went up over the bumper blocks at the end of the track and rammed into a wall, a New Jersey transit official told AFP at the scene.
	Michael Larson, another transit employee, told reporters he heard a "bomb-like explosion" as the train hit the bumpers with such force that it went airborne -- hitting the station's roof and causing it to partly collapse.
	"It was going considerably faster than it should have normally been at the terminal," he said. "It went up and over the bumper block, through the depot... And came to rest at the wall by the waiting room."
	Video and photos on social media showed major damage to the transit hub just over the Hudson river from Manhattan, with the train tangled in wires and debris from what appeared to be caved in portions of 

At least one dead, 100 hurt in New Jersey train crash

The UN said today it expected at least 700,000 people in Iraq's second city of Mosul would need assistance once an expected offensive on the Islamic State group stronghold begins.
	"Mosul has the potential to be one the largest... disasters of many, many years," warned Bruno Geddo, the United Nation's refugee agency's main representative in Iraq.
	Iraq is already facing one of the world's biggest displacement crises, with around 3.3 million people forced to flee their homes in the country since 2014.
	IS seized Mosul along with other areas in June 2014, but Iraqi forces have since regained significant ground from the jihadists and are preparing a drive to retake the city by the end of the year.
	In a sign the battle could happen soon, Washington said this week it would send some 600 extra troops to train local forces for the offensive.
	Geddo warned that more than one million people might be displaced during that offensive.
	"We are planning for at least 700,000 who will be in need of 

700,000 will need aid once Mosul offensive starts: UN

One person was confirmed killed today in the crash of a New Jersey commuter train at a station in Hoboken, New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie said.
	"We need to pray for the one fatality we did have so far and for the other victims," Christie said in an interview on CNN.
	Earlier, media reports said three people were killed in the crash, which resulted in scores of injuries.

One confirmed dead in New Jersey train crash: governor

Media-entertainment giants Viacom and CBS, which split a decade ago, should reunite in a merger to better compete in the shifting industry landscape, the family that controls both said today.
	A letter released by Sumner Redstone and his daughter Shari Redstone said the boards of the two firms should consider bringing together the firms that broke up in 2005.
	The 93-year-old Redstone, who is believed to be in failing health, remains chief executive of the holding company National Amusements, the controlling shareholder of the two firms. Shari Redstone is president of the group.
	"We believe that a combination of CBS and Viacom might offer substantial synergies that would allow the combined company to respond even more aggressively and effectively to the challenges of the changing entertainment and media landscape," the letter said.
	It added that National Amusements "is not willing to accept or support any acquisition by a third party of either company or any transaction that would ..

Redstone family seeks to re-merge Viacom, CBS

The Danish tax authority said today it had paid an anonymous source almost six million kroner (0.81 million euros, USD 0.9 million) for leaked data from the Panama Papers on hundreds of Danes.
	The government justified the payment earlier this month saying it needed to take all necessary measures to catch tax evaders.
	"The material contains the number of files on Danes that we expected and the quality is on a par with the sample cases we were given before," Jim Sorensen, a division head at the agency, said in a statement.
	The agency would now analyse the material in more detail, he said.
	The Danish government said on September 7 that it would pay an amount in the "lower millions" of kroner to the anonymous source for information on between 500 and 600 Danish taxpayers from the Panama Papers.
	In April, media outlets published details of murky offshore financial dealings gleaned from 11.5 million leaked documents from a Panamanian law firm -- the so-called "Panama Papers".
	The ...

Denmark pays for Panama Papers data on own citizens

US oil industry analysts were hopeful but still skeptical today that OPEC would be able to boost oil prices with an agreement to limit output.
	After seeing the crash in oil prices force a cutback of US domestic production of more than one million barrels a day, the tentative OPEC pact could deliver some relief to US drillers.
	"OPEC's news might create a short-term price increase, but such prices would have to be sustainable for the long term in order to increase capital budgets and new projects in the US," said Jeffrey Eshelman, senior vice president of the Independent Petroleum Association of America.
	"It remains to be seen, whether OPEC's commitment will create a long term price increase that can translate into confidence for new US projects and expenditures," he said.
	US crude oil output peaked at 9.6 million barrels a day in June 2015, according to government data.
	Much of that came from shale fields tapped by the controversial new fracking techniques, though the bulk of US ..

US oil industry skeptical over OPEC deal

A packed commuter train ploughed into a station in New Jersey during the morning rush hour today, with three people reported killed and more than 100 injured, many of them in critical condition.
	The train failed to stop as it pulled into Hoboken station at speed, went up over the blocks at the end of the track and rammed into a wall a few meters away, a New Jersey transit official told AFP at the scene.
	Michael Larson, another transit employee, told CNN he heard a "bomb-like explosion" as the train hit the bumpers with such force that it went airborne -- hitting the station's roof and causing it to partly collapse.
	"It was going considerably faster than it should have normally been at the terminal," he said. "It went up and over the bumper block, through the depot... And came to rest at the wall by the waiting room."
	Video and photos posted on social media showed major damage to the transit hub just over the Hudson river from Manhattan, with the train tangled in wires and debris ..

Three reported dead, 100 hurt in New Jersey train crash

Russia has a "special responsibility to calm violence and give a political process a chance" in Syria, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today.
	"The latest offensive by the Syrian regime against Aleppo -- supported by Russia -- has made the suffering of the civilian population yet worse," the two leaders agreed in a telephone conversation, according to a statement released by Merkel's office.
	Russia said today that it would continue its Syrian air campaign in the face of warnings from US Secretary of State John Kerry that Washington would pull the plug on any more talks unless Moscow stopped the bombing of the besieged city.
	Syrian government forces backed by Russian air power have launched a renewed assault on the rebel-held eastern half of Aleppo, after a ceasefire deal brokered by the United States and Russia broke down.
	UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday labelled bombings that hit the two main hospitals in Aleppo's rebel 

Russia has 'responsibility' to calm Syria: Merkel, Erdogan

The gunning down of a string of candidates ahead of nationwide municipal elections this Sunday is stoking fears that Brazil's toxic politics are headed into dangerous new territory.
	The main headline from Sunday's polls is expected to be the hammering of the leftist Workers' Party, which many here blame for Brazil's punishing recession and sprawling corruption scandals.
	Already reeling from the impeachment of former president Dilma Rousseff and her replacement by center-right rival Michel Temer, the once-dominant Workers' Party looks set to lose a slew of local seats, including the mayor of Brazil's biggest city Sao Paulo.
	But analysts say that a recent spate of killings around Brazil points to a darker political shift.
	The latest victim was Jose Gomes da Rocha, running for mayor in Itumbiara in the state of Goias.
	He was shot dead, along with a police officer, while campaigning yesterday, Globo news site reported. The state's deputy governor was also wounded in the attack in ...

Political killings overshadow Brazilian elections

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak today said OPEC's surprise decision to cut oil output was very positive although he said he hoped Russia's own production would stay at current levels.
	"It was a very positive decision yesterday," Novak said of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries agreement to cut oil production. "We are looking to keep current production volumes at the achieved level.

Russia hails 'very positive' OPEC oil cut decision: minister

A packed commuter train crashed into a station in New Jersey during the morning rush hour today, officials said, with more than 100 people reportedly injured.
	The train failed to stop as it pulled into the transit hub of Hoboken, just over the Hudson river from New York, according to early photographs of the accident released by AFP.
	"Due to a NJ Transit train derailment at #Hoboken Station, NJ, all PATH train service in and out of Hoboken Station is suspended," New York's official emergency information system tweeted.
	New Jersey's emergency management system was reporting more than 100 people injured, while the New Jersey transit service said there were "multiple" injuries, ABC News reported.
	Images on social media showed serious damage to the train station, with part of the roof apparently caved in.
	Video showed the station in shambles with the train tangled in wires and debris from what appeared to be collapsed portions of the roof.
	Emergency vehicles converged on the scene ..

Train crashes into New Jersey station, over 100 reported hurt

Bangladesh today recalled left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain for the crucial final One-day International against Afghanistan as they seek to clinch the series locked at 1-1.
     Afghanistan pulled off a two-wicket victory against Bangladesh on Wednesday to level the series, after losing a thrilling opening match days earlier by seven runs.
     Mosharraf, who played the last of his three three ODIs back in 2008, replaces pace bowler Rubel Hossain for the decider on Saturday in Dhaka.
     "We have seen Afghanistan were struggling to play spin bowling in the first two matches. So we've decided to include Mosharraf for the third match," said chief selector Minhajul Abedin.
     Rubel, who returned to the side after a long injury lay-off, conceded 62 runs in nine overs for one wicket in the first match and was given just three overs in the second one.
     Afghanistan have proved tenacious opponents against the more fancied Bangladesh.
     The Afghanistan series was hastily arranged to 

AFP

AFP

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