Mexico and Uruguay declared today an end to a brief diplomatic spat over the Uruguayan president's description of Mexico as a "kind of failed state."
	Mexico's government protested the remarks by Uruguayan President Jose Mujica over the weekend and said it would summon the South American country's ambassador for an explanation.
	But Mujica himself issued a statement late yesterday to take back his words, which he had made to Foreign Affairs magazine in reference to the disappearance, and presumed massacre, of 43 college students by a police-backed drug gang in southern Mexico.
	The foreign ministers of both countries said today the matter was resolved.
	"It's absolutely settled," Mexican Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Meade said during a trip to Chile, noting that Mujica had clarified his remarks. "The dialogue with Uruguay is a brotherly dialogue."
	Uruguayan Foreign Minister Luis Almagro told AFP that the "episode has been overcome.

Mexico, Uruguay end spat over 'failed state' dig

PTI Automatic

Britain's Prince William is to visit China next year, though his pregnant wife Kate is thought unlikely to go with him, reports said today.
	The Duke of Cambridge is due to visit early in 2015, but most likely without the duchess, newspapers and the BBC said. She is expecting their second child in April and has been suffering from acute morning sickness.
	Buckingham Palace could not officially confirm the tour when contacted by AFP, saying only that no tour had been announced and news of any planned visits would be put out in the usual manner.
	William, second in line to the throne behind his father Prince Charles, is due to visit New York with Kate from December 7 to 9. The duke will also visit Washington.
	Britain is anxious to improve its trade ties with countries such as China. A high-profile tour by William, 32, would be viewed in Britain as an attempt to improve top-level diplomatic relations with Beijing.
	Charles has never visited mainland China, though he attended the ...

Britain's Prince William to visit China in 2015: reports

Pope Francis urged Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi today to ensure peace during his country's political transition and called on Egypt to embrace its diplomatic role in the troubled Middle East.
	Sisi met the 77-year old Francis at the start of his first European trip since ousting his Islamist predecessor and overseeing a crackdown that has killed hundreds.
	During what the Vatican described as "cordial" talks -- the first between an Egyptian leader and the pope at the tiny city state in eight years -- the pontiff stressed "the closeness and solidarity of the Church to all the people of Egypt during this period of political transition".
	The Vatican statement expressed hope that Egypt's constitutional safeguards on human rights and religious freedom "may be strengthened".
	The pope also told Sisi he hoped "the path to inter-religious dialogue may continue to be pursued," it said.
	The pair also discussed Egypt's role in the promotion of peace and stability in the Middle East .

Pope urges Sisi to ensure peace during Egypt transition

Archives belonging to Nobel prize-winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who died earlier this year, have been acquired by the University of Texas at Austin, it said in a statement today.
	A half-century of the acclaimed novelist's original manuscripts and personal papers, written mostly in Spanish, are among the documents in the archives, which are to be housed in the university's Harry Ransom Center.
	The Ransom Center at the University of Austin, Texas' capital city, houses a humanities research center, a museum, and a library.
	Born in Colombia, Garcia Marquez died in Mexico City this past April in at the age of 87.
	Among the trove of his writings acquired by the university are original manuscripts for his masterpieces "One Hundred Years of Solitude," and "Love in the Time of Cholera."
	"Garcia Marquez is a giant of 20th-century literature whose work brims with originality and wisdom," said Bill Powers, president of The University of Texas at Austin, in a statement.
	"The ...

Texas university acquires Garcia Marquez papers

Russia cemented control over neighbouring Georgia's rebel Abkhazia region today with a "strategic partnership" deal that the Georgian government said amounts to annexation.
	President Vladimir Putin signed the "alliance and strategic partnership" agreement which formalises Russian dominance of the tiny separatist region's foreign policy, armed forces and economy, as well as placing Russian guards on the border with the rest of Georgia.
	The signature "is a step towards a de facto annexation of the Abkhazia region by the Russian Federation" and a "violation of the principles of Georgia's territorial integrity and international law," Georgian Foreign Minister Tamar Beruchashvili told journalists.
	"The Georgian government condemns the illegal step."
	More than 30,000 opposition supporters protested in Tbilisi this month against the planned deal, which comes amid a diplomatic firestorm over Russia's involvement in a separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine and annexation of Crimea last ...

Putin sparks Georgia fury with 'annexation' deal in Abkhazia

The death toll from three days of what residents described as the heaviest storms to hit southern Morocco in decades has climbed to at least 32, authorities said today.
	The storms since Saturday caused flash floods in much of the south at the foot of the Anti-Atlas Mountains, but a weather alert was finally called off today afternoon.
	The interior ministry gave an updated toll of at least 32 dead and six missing.
	Rescue teams earlier recovered 11 bodies from high waters near Talmaadart river in the Guelmim region on the edge of the Sahara desert that bore the brunt of the storms.
	Local authorities said two other people were missing in the same region, while at least five in total were unaccounted for in areas including Ouarzazate and Marrakesh, where cars and trees were swept away by the raging waters.
	A girl of nine was among six people swept away by the bulging Tamsourt River, also in Guelmim.
	"We haven't seen anything like this since the floods of 1986... People were very ...

Morocco flash floods kill at least 32

A car bomb exploded in a crowded Shiite-majority area of the Iraqi capital today, killing at least 10 people and wounding at least 31, security and medical officials said.
	The blast in the Shaab area of northern Baghdad struck an area where minibuses gather near a market.
	There was no immediate claim for the blast, but the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, which frequently targets members of Iraq's Shiite majority, has said it was behind multiple car bombings in Baghdad in recent weeks.
	The city is hit by near-daily bombings and shootings that kill hundreds of people each month.
	Security forces, despite being deployed at checkpoints and other positions across Baghdad, are consistently unable to prevent such attacks.
	The violence comes as security forces and pro-government fighters battle to push back IS, which has seized significant territory since June.
	They are now backed by US-led air strikes targeting the jihadists in both Iraq and neighbouring Syria, and also supported by .

Baghdad car bomb kills at least 10: officials

The death toll from three days of what residents described as the heaviest storms to hit southern Morocco in decades has climbed to at least 28, authorities said today.
	The storms since Saturday caused flash floods in much of the south at the foot of the Anti-Atlas Mountains, but a weather alert was finally called off today afternoon.
	Rescue teams recovered 11 bodies from high waters near Talmaadart river in the Guelmim region, which bore the brunt of the storms, adding to an earlier death tally of 17.
	Local authorities said two other people were missing in the same region, while at least five in total were unaccounted for in the stricken areas, including Ouarzazate and Marrakesh, where cars and trees were swept away by the raging waters.
	A girl of nine was among six people swept away by the bulging Tamsourt River, also in Guelmim, located on the edge of the Sahara desert.
	"We haven't seen anything like this since the floods of 1986... People were very scared," resident Mustapha .

Morocco flash floods toll climbs to at least 28 dead

Police in Spain today arrested four Catholic priests accused of sexually abusing children in the southern city of Granada, the interior minister said.
	The arrests came a week after a 24-year-old man there wrote to the Vatican alleging a group of priests molested him as a boy as well as other children.
	"Police this morning arrested four priests implicated in this affair," Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz told reporters.
	Judicial sources last week told AFP that courts had launched an investigation targeting 12 people.
	The Archdiocese of Granada said it suspended several priests and sent the conclusions of its own internal inquiry to the Vatican, acting after the young man's letter.
	Media reports said Pope Francis ordered an inquiry into the archdiocese and telephoned the man directly to apologise on behalf of the church.
	The Archbishop of Granada Francisco Javier Martinez and other clerics yesterday prostrated themselves on the floor during a mass in a gesture of apology to .

Four priests arrested in Spain sex abuse probe

At least two Britons are among around 15 Westerners fighting in Syria alongside Kurdish guerrillas against the Islamic State group (IS), according to British media.
	The Observer newspaper reported that Jamie Read, from North Lanarkshire in Scotland, and James Hughes, from Reading in central England, had been recruited by former US soldier Jordan Matson to join the "The Lions Of Rojava", a Kurdish movement vowing to "send terrorists to hell and save humanity".
	Read told the BBC World Service that he was in Syria to help the Kurdish people, and denied reports that the fighters were mercenaries.
	Both Read and Hughes, who completed three tours of Afghanistan, are reported to be in Rojava, northern Syria, fighting IS militants trying to take over the embattled city of Kobani.
	Around 500 Britons are believed to be fighting on the side of the jihadists.
	US fighter Matson last month told the BBC that there were around 15 Western fighters, but that there were "hundreds" of other veterans .

Two Britons fighting alongside Kurds against IS: report

The Rio Olympic Games have their mascot, a yellow feline animal representing Brazil's rich fauna and wildlife.
     But it remains for the public to choose a name after Sunday night's unveiling on Globo television.
     The animal is a mixture of Brazilian creatures -- part cat but able to spring about like a monkey -- with a dash of blue and green added to the predominant yellow in a nod to Brazil's national colours.
     The Paralympic Games mascot is a predominantly blue and green figure whose head is covered with leaves -- depicting once again the host country's rich vegetation as Brazil prepares to welcome the Olympics to South America for the first time.
     "The mascots are one of the most representative symbols of the Games. Their mission is to enchant and involve the public, children especially," Organising Committee president Carlos Arthur Nuzman told Globo.
     It remains only for the public to decide on a name, choosing from a range of options.
     Possibilities ...

Rio Games choose yellow feline as mascot

Ferrari today sacked team chief Marco Mattiacci after just seven months in the post and appointed Maurizio Arrivabene in his place, a team statement announced.
     Arrivabene takes over only days after the team signed Germany's four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel on a three-year contract starting from next year and a day after Ferrari finished the Formula One season winless for the first time since 1993.
     Arrivabene has been closely linked with Ferrari for several years, having previously been vice-president of Marlboro Global Communication and Promotions for tobacco giants and team sponsors Philip Morris International, which he joined in 1997.
     He has also represented all Formula One sponsors on the F1 Commission since 2010.
     Less than 24 hours after Lewis Hamilton clinched the world title in the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi, Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne said: "We decided to appoint Maurizio Arrivabene because, at this historic moment in time for the ...

Ferrari sack team chief Mattiacci, appoint Arrivabene

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson warned his team needed to be at their best to compete on a flat Sharjah pitch where they meet Pakistan in the third and final Test from Wednesday.
     New Zealand seek a series-levelling win after losing the first Test in Abu Dhabi by 248 runs and drawing the second in Dubai.
     Hesson said a flat and grass-less Sharjah pitch will be tough.
     "In the other two pitches we could see grass but not here. This looks a bit different. Sharjah traditionally is lower and skiddier and slows up as the game goes on. So I don't expect this wicket to be any different," said Hesson on Monday.
     "Look the warm up game we had played here had lot more grass on it," said Hesson of the drawn three-day game before the Test series. "We have to play very well to be able to compete in these conditions."
     Sharjah cricket stadium has been a happy hunting ground for Pakistan since 1980s when they dominated one-day internationals here.
     They chased down a tough ...

New Zealand coach wary of Sharjah conditions

Britain withdrew its last military forces from southern Afghanistan today after 13 years of fighting that has cost hundreds of British lives in some of the most violent regions of the country.
	A ceremony at Kandahar airfield marked the departure of remaining Royal Air Force personnel after the final British base was handed over to Afghan forces in October.
	Since 2001, Britain has suffered 453 military deaths during operations in Afghanistan.
	"Britain's armed forces can take great pride in the completion of their deployment to southern Afghanistan," Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said in a statement.
	"Thanks to their courage and dedication, the country has the best possible chance of a stable future. Our departure from Kandahar airfield therefore is an historic milestone."
	Much of the British fighting took place in neighbouring Helmand province, which remains a Taliban insurgent stronghold and a centre of opium poppy cultivation.
	The US-led NATO combat mission will finish at ...

Last British troops leave southern Afghanistan

An Italian doctor has contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone and is being flown back to Rome for specialist treatment, the health ministry said today.
	The ministry said the doctor, the first Italian to contract the disease, would arrive in Rome late Monday or early Tuesday and be hospitalised at the Lazzaro Spallanzani national institute for infectious disease.
	The doctor was working for NGO Emergency at a clinic for Ebola victims when he contracted the disease, which has killed more than 5,000 people in its latest outbreak in West Africa.
	"We can reassure his family that the doctor is feeling well," health minister Beatrice Lorenzin said in a statement.
	"He did not have a fever or other symptoms during the night and this morning he had his breakfast."
	The NGO said the doctor had developed some unspecified Ebola symptoms but was in a "good general condition."
	The more serious symptoms of Ebola can take weeks to develop.
	Emergency said all its staff in Sierra Leone had been trained to 

Doctor working in Sierra Leone is Italy's first Ebola case

Victims of a deadly fire at a garment factory in Bangladesh protested outside the plant today, the second anniversary of the disaster, to demand compensation from Western brands.
	Around 100 people marched outside the complex, chanting slogans against the global brands they say have failed to compensate them after the disaster at the Tazreen Fashion factory outside Dhaka that killed 111 workers.
	The factory, in the Ashulia industrial district near Dhaka, supplied clothes to a variety of international brands including US giant Walmart, Dutch retailer C&A and ENYCE, a label owned by US rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs.
	"It's been two years since the fire, yet we've not seen any compensation for the victims," said labour leader Taslima Akter, after placing wreaths at the Tazreen ruins.
	"The victims have only been given some grants, but it's not a matter of charity. The brands must come forward with a full package of compensation in accordance with the law," she said.
	New York-based ...

Victims protest on Bangladesh factory fire anniversary

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today declared that women are not equal to men and launched a bitter attack against feminists in Turkey, claiming they reject the concept of motherhood.
	Speaking at a summit in Istanbul on justice for women, the devoutly Muslim president said that biological differences between women and men meant they cannot serve the same functions in life.
	"Our religion (Islam) has defined a position for women (in society): motherhood," Erdogan told an audience of Turkish women including his own daughter Sumeyye.
	"Some people can understand this, while others can't. You cannot explain this to feminists because they don't accept the concept of motherhood."
	He recalled, "I would kiss my mother's feet because they smelled of paradise. She would glance coyly and cry sometimes.
	"Motherhood is something else."
	He went on to say that women and men cannot be treated equally "because it is against human nature."
	"Their characters, habits and physiques are ...

Women not equal to men: Turkey's Erdogan

Iran and world powers looked likely today to miss a midnight deadline to agree a long-awaited nuclear deal, with a Western diplomat saying they would agree an extension and meet again next month.
	"Given progress made this weekend, talks headed to likely extension with experts and negotiating teams reconvening in December at a yet to be determined location," the diplomat said.
	As the foreign ministers of Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, the so-called P5+1, went into a meeting in Vienna, it was unclear how long the extension could be.
	In the best chance in years to resolve the long-running standoff over Iran's nuclear programme, the P5+1 have been locked in talks with Iran for months, seeking to turn an interim deal that expires at midnight (2300 GMT) into a lasting accord.
	Such an agreement, after a 12-year standoff, is aimed at easing fears that Tehran will develop nuclear weapons under the guise of its civilian activities, an ambition ..

Iran nuclear deal deadline 'likely to be extended'

A highly sophisticated cyberspying tool has been used since 2008 to steal information from governments, businesses and others, security researchers said today.
	The security firm Symantec said the malware, known as Regin, was seen "in systematic spying campaigns against a range of international targets,"  including governments infrastructure operators, businesses, researchers and private individuals.
	Symantec said the malware shares some characteristics with
 The Stuxnet worm - a tool believed to have been used by the US and Israeli governments to attack computer networks involved in Iran's nuclear program.
	Because of its complexity, the Symantec researchers said in a blog post that the malware "would have required a significant investment of time and resources, indicating that a nation state is responsible."
	The researchers added that "it is likely that its development took months, if not years, to complete and its authors have gone to great lengths to cover its tracks."
	They ...

Advanced cyberspying tool dates from 2008: researchers

Afghanistan's intelligence agency today blamed the Haqqani network, a hardline militant group aligned with the Taliban, for the suicide blast at a volleyball game that killed 57 people.
	"We have evidence that shows the Haqqani network was behind the attack in Paktika," Haseeb Sediqi, spokesman for the National Directorate of Security, told AFP. "We will release more information shortly.

Haqqani network behind Afghan volleyball bombing: Spy agency

About 100 people were slaughtered last week in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the latest massacres to shake the restive region, regional deputies said today.
	The carnage took place on Thursday near the town of Beni in the North Kivu province, where mainly Muslim Ugandan rebels have been blamed for killing more than 200 civilians in gruesome attacks since October.
	"I have a figure of 95 bodies buried in a common grave," as well as "nine others that were shown to authorities in a morgue," opposition member of parliament Juma Balikwisha told AFP.
	"We still don't have a definitive toll. It lies between 70 and 100 people killed," said Albert Baliesima, an MP for the parliamentary majority backing President Joseph Kabila.
	"We were told that the (Congolese armed forces, FARDC) didn't want people to go further into the bush, where more bodies could yet be discovered, he added.
	Officials who spoke to AFP said they did not know who carried out the massacres, but they took ...

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