Iran said today that Saudi Arabia's plan to host a meeting of armed and political opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would breach declarations made during recent international peace talks.
	Tehran and Riyadh are on opposite sides of the conflict in Syria but both have taken part in two major meetings in Vienna aimed at finding a political solution.
	The planned meeting in Riyadh in December could boost unity in the Syrian opposition to enter talks on ending the conflict, in which 250,000 people have been killed, the UN envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has said.
	But Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Iran's deputy foreign minister for Arab and African Affairs, slammed the planned gathering of anti-Assad political and military groups, calling it "hasty and unconstructive".
	"It was agreed in Vienna that the UN representative in Syrian affairs try to determine a list of opposition groups by broad consultation," he was quoted as saying on state television's website.
	"Tehran does ..

Iran says Saudi plan on Syria opposition violates Vienna talks

PTI Automatic

Billionaire Andre Esteves, arrested on charges related to Brazil's huge Petrobras corruption probe, has resigned as chairman and CEO of Latin America's largest independent investment bank.
	BTG Pactual did not refer in the statement to Esteves's legal situation, nor to the Supreme Court having agreed to a prosecutor's request to extend indefinitely the now former banker's arrest.
	Esteves, 47, who has a personal wealth of $2.1 billion according to Forbes magazine, was arrested Wednesday along with Delcidio Amaral, a senior senator from the ruling Workers' Party, on charges of obstructing justice in the Petrobras probe.
	The arrest of such powerful men stunned Brazil, and indicated the scope of what prosecutors say was a massive bribes and faked contracts scheme at the state oil company involving politicians and business people.
	Prosecutors say that Esteves was planning to finance an escape to Spain, via Paraguay, of former Petrobras executive Nestor Cervero in exchange for Cervero ...

Arrested Brazilian billionaire resigns

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said today that Iraq has sufficient forces to fight the Islamic State group, after American senators called for more US troops to be deployed to the country.
	"The Iraqi government welcomes an increase in support in weapons and training and (air) support from international partners in our war against Daesh," Abadi said in a statement, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
	But "we confirm that Iraq has enough men and resolve to defeat Daesh and other similar criminal groups," he said.
	Abadi's remarks came a day after American senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham advocated an increase in US forces in Iraq to around 10,000 from the current cap of 3,550.
	"The prime minister... Said he wanted more American presence here," McCain, the chair of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, told journalists in Baghdad.
	And Graham, a member of the same committee, said: "I talked with the prime minister -- would you like more American help? The answer was yes."
	He ...

Iraq PM says country has sufficient forces to fight IS

The United States warned its citizens in Kabul today of an "imminent attack" in the city within the next two days, amid renewed official efforts to revive stalled peace talks with the Taliban.
	The US embassy in Kabul urged extreme caution during this period of "heightened threat" but gave no details on potential targets or methods of the planned attack.
	"US embassy Kabul has received credible reports of an imminent attack in Kabul... Within the next 48 hours," it said in an emergency warning posted on its website.
	"The security situation in Afghanistan is extremely unstable, and the threat to all US citizens in Afghanistan remains critical."
	The embassy frequently issues such emergency warnings but the latest post comes as the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan are expected to meet on the sidelines of a UN conference in Paris.
	The meeting between Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani could be a possible first step towards resuming ...

US embassy warns of 'imminent attack' in Kabul

A rightwing Israeli politician has resigned from the country's parliament after a series of allegations of sexual harassment, the party announced today.
	Yinon Magal, from the religious and nationalist Jewish Home party, will step down after a number of women accused him of inappropriate comments and actions while in his former role as a journalist.
	Party leader and Education Minister Naftali Bennett said he accepted Magal's resignation, calling it the "right" decision that would to enable him to "devote himself to his family".
	A former colleague of Magal's at the Israeli news website Walla wrote last week that he made a series of inappropriate comments, including allegedly encouraging her to dress like a librarian in a porn film.
	Another woman later claimed he stroked her behind despite being asked not to, prompting Israeli police to announce they would look into the claims.
	Fresh allegations emerged shortly before Magal's resignation today, bringing the number of accusers to ...

Israeli parliamentarian resigns over sexual harassment claims

Pope Francis today said that Christians and Muslims were "brothers", urging them to reject hatred and violence while visiting a mosque in the Central African Republic's capital which has been ravaged by sectarian conflict.
	On the last leg of a three-nation tour of Africa, the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholic visited a flashpoint Muslim neighbourhood in Bangui on what was the most dangerous part of his 24-hour visit.
	Thousands of people gathered at the roadside, cheering as his popemobile drove down the red dirt roads. As his vehicle passed, many waving Vatican flags and dressed in long traditional robes, ran down the road after it, an AFP correspondent said.
	"Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters," he said after meeting Muslim leaders at the Koudoukou mosque in the PK5 district, the last Muslim enclave in Bangui where tensions remain high after months of violence.
	"Together, we must say no to hatred, to revenge and to violence, particularly that violence which .

Christians, Muslims are 'brothers': Pope in war-torn C Africa

A new Chinese government report raises the alarm over rising sea levels caused by climate change which could potentially threaten the country's developed eastern coast, according to state media and the New York Times.
	The release of the official report, now in its third edition, came shortly before the UN Conference of Parties (COP21) summit, which began on Monday with the aim of striking a global deal limiting dangerous climate change.
	China is the world's second biggest economy but also its largest polluter, estimated to have released between nine and 10 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2013.
	Beijing pledged last year to peak carbon dioxide output by "around 2030" -- suggesting at least another decade of growing emissions.
	The government report said the sea levels off China's coast have risen 2.9 millimetres annually from 1980 to 2012, according to an article posted on a government-backed website, while glaciers shrank just over 10 percent since the 1970s.
	Temperatures are ..

China raises alarm over rising seas amid climate talks

Two prominent Thai opposition leaders were detained by soldiers today as they tried to visit a public park at the centre of a corruption scandal that has rocked the kingdom's military.
	Thailand's generals seized power last year partially justifying their takeover as a necessary move to curb endemic corruption among the kingdom's civilian politicians and protect the royal family.
	But the construction by the military of a park in tribute to the monarchy has engulfed the army in graft accusations that have undermined those anti-corruption pledges.
	Jatuporn Prompan and Nattawut Saikuar, two leaders of the "Red Shirt" movement loyal to the ousted civilian government, were seized by the military on their way to visit the Rajabhakti Park in the seaside resort town of Hua Hin.
	They had previously announced on Facebook plans to visit the park to investigate allegations of corruption.
	But Thai TV showed the two men being led away by soldiers into a van before they could set out.
	"Military 

Thai army detain opposition leaders over park 'graft' visit

South Korea today ratified a free trade agreement (FTA) with China that would remove most tariffs between Asia's largest and fourth-largest economies.
	The pact, signed in June, was passed by parliament with a 196-33 majority -- although it still needs China's ratification in order to take effect.
	The green light came after the Seoul government promised to provide about one trillion won (USD 865 million) in direct financial support for farmers and fishermen who argue that their livelihoods will be severely affected by the deal.
	Negotiations for the agreement, which began in 2012, had often been marred by angry protests from South Korean farmers who fear an influx of cheap Chinese imports.
	In an effort to assuage opponents, the final pact excluded many of South Korea's major farming and fisheries goods like rice, beef, pork, pepper and squid.
	China, meanwhile, excluded or delayed the opening of its relatively less-developed manufacturing segments, such as the auto sector and ...

S Korea ratifies free trade deal with China

At least 12 people have been killed in an overnight attack blamed on Ugandan rebels in the restive east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a witness and local NGO said today.
	"I saw four civilians killed by bullets... And seven patients and a nurse cut up by machete at the hospital," a regional official told AFP in the north of the troubled North Kivu province. A local non-governmental organisation put the toll at 30 dead.

At least 12 killed in attack by Ugandan rebels in Congo

Pope Francis today said Christians and Muslims were "brothers", urging them to reject hatred and violence on a visit to a mosque in a flashpoint Muslim neighbourhood of the Central African Republic's capital Bangui.
	"Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters," he said in an address at the central Koudoukou mosque in the PK5 district on the most dangerous part of his 24-hour visit to the war-torn nation.
	"Those who claim to believe in God must also be men and women of peace," he said in the district of flimsy shacks and red dirt roads which has been at the heart of recent sectarian violence pitting Muslim rebels against Christian vigilante groups.
	"Together, we must say no to hatred, to revenge and to violence, particularly that violence which is perpetrated in the name of a religion or of God himself. God is peace, salam," he said on a visit which has seen him hammering home a message of peace and reconciliation.
	Addressing residents crowded into the mosque, Francis said his 

Christians, Muslims are 'brothers': Pope Francis

Japan will dispatch a whaling fleet to the Antarctic after a one year suspension, the government said, defying international criticism and a UN legal ruling that the "research" expedition is a commercial hunt in disguise.
	"The research ships will depart for new whale research in the Antarctic on December 1, 2015," the Fisheries Agency said today in a statement on its website.
	Tokyo has for years come under intense global pressure to stop hunts that opponents decry as inhumane but that Japan says are an inherent part of its traditional culture.
	The United Nations' top legal body judged last year that Japan's so-called scientific whaling activity in the Southern Ocean was a disguise for commercial hunts.
	The agency's statement said the "research period" for the mission would be from late December to early March.
	The fleet will include a "mother ship" and three other vessels with a total of 160 crew members taking part, it added.
	Japan had earlier flagged that it planned to resume .

Japan says to resume whaling,fleet sails to Antarctic Ocean

Taiwan said today it has for the first time exchanged jailed spies with China, in another sign of closer relations between the two sides which recently held a historic summit.
	The swap took place last month ahead of Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou's November 7 meeting with China's leader Xi Jinping -- the first encounter since the rivals split in 1949 at the end of a civil war.
	Beijing freed Chu Kung-hsun and Hsu Chang-kuo, the highest-ranking intelligence agents to be jailed in China after they were imprisoned in 2006, Taiwan's Military Intelligence Bureau said.
	The release of the pair, who were held on espionage charges, was in exchange for a Chinese double agent, Li Zhihhao, who was jailed by Taiwan 16 years ago under a life sentence.
	"President Ma hopes that such friendly interactions can keep progressing and lead to further concrete achievements," said Ma's spokesman, Charles Chen.
	Unconfirmed media reports in 2013 said China and Taiwan had held talks in Southeast Asia about ..

China, Taiwan in first-ever spy swap as ties improve

More pink-ball day-night Test matches are planned after the spectacular success of the historic trailblazer at the Adelaide Oval, which won plaudits from fans and players.
     Test cricket got a pulsating makeover as Australia claimed a thrilling three-wicket win over New Zealand in the first Test in the game's 138-year history to be played under lights.
     Thirty-seven wickets tumbled in three days as the pink ball dominated the bat, in stark contrast to the run-laden low-attended first two Tests in Brisbane and Perth.
     The crowds loved the experience with a total attendance of 123,736 fans thronging into Adelaide Oval over the three lively days. The opening day gate of 47,441 was the biggest at the Adelaide Test since the famous 1932-33 'bodyline' series.
     Host broadcaster, the Nine Network, was also beaming with 3.19 million prime-time TV viewers across the nation watching Sunday's last day, far more than normal for the third day of a Test.
     Rival skippers Steve ...

More day-night Tests touted after Adelaide success

New Zealand have contacted the International Cricket Council seeking answers over a contentious review that went against them at a crucial time in the fluctuating day-night Test against Australia, coach Mike Hesson said today.
     Hesson is still fuming over the much-criticised decision by TV umpire Nigel Llong on Saturday's second day to turn down a Decision Review System (DRS) referral for a catch off Australia's Nathan Lyon.
     Lyon survived after the "Hot Spot" thermal imaging revealed a mark on the back of his bat before he had scored.
     It was a major let-off for Australia, in trouble at 118 for eight and still trailing the Kiwis first innings total by 84 runs in a low-scoring Test.
     Lyon was walking off the ground believing he was out before returning to continue batting and join in a record Australian trans-Tasman series 74-run ninth-wicket stand with Peter Nevill to deliver his side a vital 22-run first innings lead. Australia won the low-scoring Adelaide third Test 

New Zealand seek ICC clarification on DRS 'clanger'

Australia's pace spearhead Mitchell Starc said today it could be up to four weeks before he knows when he can bowl again after another injury setback in the Adelaide day-night Test.
     Starc bowled only nine overs in New Zealand's first innings before he heard a crack in his right foot and left the field for treatment.
     Scans revealed a stress fracture and he is wearing a protective boot so the foot can heal.
     The country's premier fast bowler following the recent retirement of Mitchell Johnson said he was unsure when he would be back.
     "It's about recovery now and healing and getting back on the horse and I guess working back on my bowling and hopefully being back sooner rather later," he said before returning home after Australia's three-wicket win over the Kiwis on Sunday.
     "I honestly don't know," he added when asked when he would be back.
     "Once I get home I can talk to the medical staff a bit more and map it out and see what it looks like, but at the moment 

Starc offers no timetable for return

Real Madrid got their La Liga title challenge back on course despite an underwhelming performance as goals from Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo handed them a 2-0 win at Eibar.
     In front of a capacity 6,000 crowd at Ipurua, Madrid did little to dispel the doubts caused by their 4-0 thrashing by Barcelona last weekend but Bale's first-half header and a late penalty from Ronaldo were enough for all three points yesterday.
     Madrid remain in third, but victory takes Rafael Benitez's men back to within six points of league leaders Barca and two points of city rivals Atletico Madrid.
     "The important thing was to get the three points and do so with this spirit of sacrifice," said Madrid boss Rafael Benitez.
     "The fans know that the most important thing when you have players of this quality is that they also work as they did today.
     "That is the key if we want to continue being strong in the future."
     Eibar have enjoyed a stellar start to just their second season in ..

Bale, Ronaldo give stuttering Real Madrid relief at Eibar

A mob has lynched four men accused of the murder of a gold seller in east Guinea, a witness and official sources said, after dragging them out of the prison where they were being held.
	"(The crowd) forced their way through the prison gate yesterday, grabbed the men suspected of killing the gold seller (and) beat them to death," said Alseny Bah, a student who lives in the town of Kouroussa.
	"I saw the four bodies spread across the ground," he said, adding that one of the men had been burned alive after being beaten.
	The crowd had learned that the courts were preparing to release the men, said a local security source who asked to remain anonymous, confirming the deaths of the four men.
	"It's a small town, everyone found out what was going on at the same time," the security source told AFP.
	Gold-seller Kaba Camara, who came from the neighbouring town of Siguiri, was killed by unknown attackers on November 1 in Kouroussa.
	"Authorities began an investigation and 16 people were ...

Mob lynches four Guinean men accused of murder

Shelling from Yemen has killed a border guard trooper and two residents in Saudi Arabia's border region, officials said, in the deadliest barrages in weeks along the frontier.
	The border guard died after "heavy firing from inside Yemeni territory" yesterday at Dahran al-Janub, the interior ministry announced.
	Yesterday, in the Jazan region, two Yemeni residents died in shelling from over the border, the Civil Defence agency said.
	Another Yemeni, among hundreds of thousands living in Saudi Arabia, died on Saturday when attackers from Yemen opened fire on Saudi Arabia's Najran border zone, Civil Defence said.
	Close to 80 people have been killed in border shelling and skirmishes since Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a military intervention against Huthi Shiite rebels in its southern neighbour in March.
	Most of the casualties have been soldiers.
	In Yemen, the United Nations says more than 5,700 people have been killed since March, nearly half of them civilians.

Yemen shells kill 3 more in Saudi border zone

Israeli police have shot dead a Palestinian teenager in Jerusalem after a day of violence in the city left two people wounded and an attacker killed.
	The bloodshed, and the closure of a Palestinian radio station accused of incitement, came with Israeli security forces struggling to halt two months of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming assaults.
	Several weeks ago, an Israeli security crackdown in Jerusalem, including roadblocks in Palestinian neighbourhoods, was followed by a lull in attacks in the city, but violence has returned.
	Late last night Israeli border police killed 17-year-old Ayman Samih Abassi during clashes in occupied east Jerusalem, the Palestinian health ministry said.
	An Israeli police statement said that officers fired at a Palestinian holding a petrol bomb in the Ras al-Amud neighbourhood after they came under attack from a volley of the missiles, but they could not confirm hitting him.
	"About 10 petrol bombs were thrown at border police officers in Ras ...

Police kill Palestinian in Jerusalem after stabbings

Hamburg's bid to host the 2024 Olympics fell at the first hurdle today when residents voted 'No' in a crunch referendum as the German public again torpedoed plans to host a Games.
	Local residents in Hamburg and Kiel, where the sailing events would have been held, vetoed the proposed bid with 51.7 percent of the 650,000 votes against the Olympic bid while 48.3 were in favour.
	This is the second time in two years that the German public has turned down the chance to host an Olympics after residents scuppered Munich's bid to host the 2022 Winter Games in a 2013 referendum.

AFP

AFP

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