Canada will start sending more than 1,000 doses of an experimental Ebola vaccine to Switzerland this week as part of the global fight against the deadly virus, a Geneva hospital said today.
	Trials of the vaccine on humans are expected to begin in Switzerland at the end of October or  early next month, it said.
	"The Canadian government has said it will begin sending the vaccine doses tomorrow, so they should arrive in Geneva on Tuesday," said Agnes Reffet, spokeswoman for the Geneva University Hospital, HUG, where the vaccine will be stored.
	Canada said in August it would give the Geneva-based World Health Organization 800 vials -- each believed to contain about two doses -- of the VSV-EBOV vaccine developed at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.
	The UN health agency has identified two experimental vaccines that have shown promising results when tested on monkeys: The Canadian VSV-EBOV, licenced by US firm NewLink Genetics, and one made by British company ...

Experimental Ebola vaccine expected in Geneva Tuesday:hospital

PTI Automatic

German intelligence has accused pro-Russian rebels of shooting down a Malaysian passenger jet over Ukraine using missiles captured from government forces, a media report said today.
	Kiev and the West have previously charged that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was blown out of the sky in July by separatist fighters using a BUK surface-to-air system supplied by Russia, charges denied by Moscow.
	But the head of Germany's BND foreign spy agency Gerhard Schindler said intelligence indicated the rebels had captured a BUK system from a Ukrainian base and fired a missile that exploded directly next to the plane, Spiegel magazine reported.
	The Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight crashed on July 17 as it flew over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board, 153 of them Dutch.
	Schindler said Russian claims the missile was fired by Ukrainian soldiers and that a Ukrainian fighter jet was flying close to the Malaysia Airlines plane were false, according to tomorrow's ...

Germany says Ukraine rebels downed MH17 with seized missiles:

A suicide bomber detonated explosives at a Shiite mosque in western Baghdad today, killing at least 15 people, security and medical officials said.
	The blast in the Harthiyah area, which also wounded at least 30 people, is the latest in a string of bombings in the Iraqi capital that have killed dozens of people in recent days.
	There was no immediate claim for the attack, but suicide bombings are almost exclusively carried out by Sunni jihadists in Iraq, including members of the Islamic State (IS) group, which has seized large areas of Iraq since June.
	The militants have been kept from reaching Baghdad in force and would face major challenges if they tried to occupy part of the city, but they are able to strike the capital with deadly bombings.
	Members of Iraq's Shiite majority, whom Sunni extremists consider to be heretics, have suffered the brunt of the blasts.

Suicide bomber kills 15 at Baghdad Shiite mosque

A leading German pilots' union has called a new 35-hour walkout at Lufthansa starting tomorrow in an ongoing dispute over retirement benefits after a weekend of train strikes.
	The stoppage will target some passenger flights across Germany from tomorrow at 1100 GMT until just before midnight on Tuesday, the Vereinigung Cockpit union said in a statement.
	Travellers in Germany have faced repeated strikes by pilots of airlines within the Lufthansa group, as well as a walkout by train drivers over the weekend.
	"The Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) announces the start of further strikes for tomorrow, October 20," the statement said.
	"Regrettably Lufthansa has not acted on the compromise proposals of VC after seven strikes now since April this year and is stonewalling," it added.
	The union said it regretted the disruptions for passengers and called on Lufthansa to give up its "blockade attitude".
	The stoppage will affect short- and medium-haul flights on Airbus 320 aircraft as well as Boeing ..

Germany faces new Lufthansa strike after rail stoppage

All eyes on Mars -- robotic or otherwise -- were focused toward a comet the size of a small mountain set to whiz past the Red Planet today.
	NASA's fleet of Mars-orbiting satellites and robots on the planet's surface were primed for the flyby of the comet, known as Siding Spring (C/2013 A1).
	It was set to hurtle past Mars at a close distance of about 141,600 kilometers today at 2:27 pm (1827 GMT).
	NASA hopes its spacecraft will be able to photograph the once-in-a-million-years encounter as the comet passes.
	Astronomers do not expect it will come any where near colliding with Mars, but they do hope it will be close enough to reveal clues about the origins of the solar system.
	That is because the comet is believed to have originated billions of years ago in the Oort Cloud, a distant region of space at the outskirts of the solar system.
	Dan Brown, an astronomy expert at Nottingham Trent University in Britain, said comets like this one are "essentially dirty icy snowballs with rocks .

All robotic eyes on comet for Mars flyby

Hollywood star Brad Pitt said today that his new movie "Fury", a brutal depiction of World War II, sought to recognise the psychological trauma endured by soldiers.
	The movie, which has its European premiere today at the close of the London Film Festival, follows a tank crew as it pushes behind enemy lines in the dying days of the war in Germany in 1945.
	"It was not a film about sides," Pitt told reporters. "For me it was a film about that accumulative psychic trauma that every soldier carries to some extent."
	He added: "This film is about the soldiers' exhaustion from the cold, hunger and the accumulative effect on a daily basis. We took that to heart.
	"I hope the soldiers will walk away from this and feel they are recognised."
	Pitt, along with a number of other actors in the film, gave his support to last month's international "Invictus Games" for injured veterans, which took place in London.
	"I learnt a lot from this film," the 50-year-old said, adding that his role as ...

'Fury' movie examines trauma of soldiers: Brad Pitt

The Texas hospital that cared for the first patient to be diagnosed with Ebola in the United States apologised today over its handling of the case.
	The Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas treated a Liberian man, Thomas Eric Duncan, who died of Ebola on October 8. Two nurses who cared for him subsequently contracted the disease and are now being treated in specialist facilities.
	"As an institution, we made mistakes in handling this very difficult challenge," the hospital said in a "letter to our community" that was published in the Dallas Morning News.
	The apology came as a lab worker from the hospital who had been on a cruise returned to Texas. Because of fears she may have had contact with Duncan's fluids, she had voluntarily remained in isolation in her cabin.
	Carnival Cruise Lines said in a statement that a blood test confirmed she was not infected, and she got off the boat after it returned to Galveston. The liner had been refused entry to Belize and Mexico over fears 

Texas hospital apologises over handling of Ebola case

People found guilty of Internet "trolling" in Britain could be jailed for up to two years under government proposals outlined today, following a number of high-profile cases of abusive and threatening behaviour on Twitter.
	Justice Secretary Chris Grayling told the Mail today newspaper: "This is a law to combat cruelty -- and marks our determination to take a stand against a baying cyber-mob."
	There has been increasing concern in Britain about the growing scourge of Internet "trolls" who post hate-filled messages on social media, often threatening their targets.
	The parents of missing girl Madeleine McCann are among the most recent victims, and last month a man was jailed for 18 weeks for what prosecutors described as "a campaign of hatred" against a female lawmaker.
	"These internet trolls are cowards who are poisoning our national life. No-one would permit such venom in person, so there should be no place for it on social media," Grayling said.
	"That is why we are determined to ..

Britain threatens Internet 'trolls' with two years in jail

US President Barack Obama called his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and they pledged to step up the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria, the White House said today.
	Kurdish fighters have been under IS assault for more than a month around Kobane, which has become a key prize as it is being fought under the gaze of the world's press massed just over the border in Turkey.
	US-led warplanes have pounded IS positions around Kobane, as Ankara has come under increasing Western pressure to step up assistance for the US-led coalition against IS.
	The two presidents discussed "Syria, particularly the situation in Kobane, and steps that could be taken to counter ISIL advances," in yesterday night phone call, the White House said, using an alternate acronym for IS.
	"The two leaders pledged to continue to work closely together to strengthen cooperation against ISIL," the White House said.
	Obama also "expressed appreciation for Turkey hosting over a million refugees, ...

Obama and Erdogan promise to intensify IS fight in Syria

A series of acid attacks on women in the historic Iranian city of Isfahan has raised fears and prompted rumours that the victims were targeted for not being properly veiled.
	Police have declined to comment on a motive but suspects have been arrested and an investigation is ongoing, General Hossein Ashtari was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.
	He said four acid attacks had been reported in Isfahan, 450 kilometres south of Tehran, but he gave no other details.
	The violence led to chatter on social networks that there had been up to 13 acid attacks against women drivers who were "badly veiled" with accompanying warnings against leaving car windows open.
	Such incidents have risen in recent years in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, with the abusers claiming they punished women for "sullying" their family "honour" by committing "indecent" behaviour.
	Under Islamic law in force in Iran since the 1979 revolution, women must wear loose clothing, known as hijab, that covers 

'Bad hijab' link to acid attacks on Iranian women

Iran has summoned the Pakistani ambassador and demanded immediate steps to stop attacks by "terrorists and rebels" that sparked deadly clashes on the countries' border, state media reported today.
	Noor Muhammad Jadmani was called to the foreign ministry yesterday evening following the deaths in the restive border province of Sistan-Baluchistan, the official IRNA news agency said.
	Two Iranian border guards and a Pakistani paramilitary officer were killed in a shooting on Thursday evening, sources on the two sides said. Iran said rebels had tried to infiltrate the country.
	"It is unacceptable that terrorists and rebels attack our country from Pakistani territory and kill our border guards," the foreign ministry's western Asia director, Rasul Salami, told IRNA.
	He asked the Pakistani government to "take serious steps to prevent any recurrence of such incidents," the news agency said.
	Thursday's border shooting came after rebel attacks killed five people in Sistan-Baluchistan ...

Iran summons Pakistani ambassador over border killings

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today rejected calls for Turkey to arm the main Kurdish party in Syria, describing the group as a terrorist organisation.
	Erdogan said the Democratic Union Party (PYD) was the same as the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a 30-year insurgency for self-rule in southeastern Turkey.
	The armed wing of the PYD, the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), has been engaged in heavy fighting in recent weeks with the Islamic State group for control of the northern Syrian town of Kobane.
	"There has been talk of arming the PYD to form a front here against the Islamic State. For us, the PYD is the same as the PKK, it's a terrorist organisation," Erdogan said aboard a plane returning from Afghanistan.
	"It would be very, very wrong to expect us to openly say 'yes' to our NATO ally America to give this kind of support. To expect something like this from us is impossible," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Anatolia news agency.
	French 

Turkey's Erdogan rejects arming Syrian Kurdish group

Thousands of runners battled thick smog at the Beijing Marathon today, with some athletes donning masks as air pollution soared to 16 times the maximum recommended level.
	   Organisers rejected calls to postpone the race despite the soupy white haze over the Chinese capital, but said they had laid on extra medical staff to treat injuries among the more than 25,000 registered runners.
	   The level of small pollutant particles known as PM2.5, which can embed themselves deep in the lungs, reached more than 400 micrograms per cubic metre in parts of Beijing as the racers lined up.
	   The World Health Organization's recommended daily maximum average exposure is 25. The US embassy in Beijing described the air today as "hazardous".
	   "When I looked at the state of the mask after 10 kilometres, I decided enough was enough," said British runner Chas Pope, 39, after dropping out of the race.
	   "It felt pretty ridiculous given we're meant to be running for health and fitness."
	   Many ...

Runners wear masks as smog hits Beijing Marathon

Mystery deepened today over a Swedish military operation triggered by "foreign underwater activity" off the coast of Stockholm, amid an unconfirmed report of a hunt for a damaged Russian submarine.
	Late yesterday, Swedish armed forces stepped up an operation -- involving more than 200 men, stealth ships, minesweepers and helicopters  -- in an area about 50 kilometres east of the Swedish capital. The manuevers were initiated Friday after the armed forces said they had been informed of a "man made object" in the water.
	Officials denied they were "submarine hunting," calling the mobilisation -- one of the biggest, barring purely training exercises, since the Cold War -- an "intelligence operation".
	Russia also denied today that any of its submarines were involved.
	"There have been no irregular situations and, even less so, accidents involving Russian naval vessels," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
	But the respected Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet reported that a ...

Mystery deepens over reported Russian sub in Sweden

The Islamic State group was taking heavy losses in the Syrian battleground of Kobane today as Iraqi forces fought the jihadists buoyed by US backing for top government security appointments.
	US Secretary of State John Kerry said the appointment of defence and interior ministers after weeks of delay was a "very positive step forward" in the fightback against IS in Iraq, which Washington has made its priority.
	But US-led warplanes kept up their strikes on the jihadists around Kobane on Syria's northern border with Turkey, helping the town's Kurdish defenders to repulse a new attempt to cut their supply lines.
	The Kurdish fighters, who have been under IS assault for more than a month, weathered fierce street fighting and at least two jihadist suicide bombings but the front line remained unchanged on Sunday, a Kurdish official said.
	"(IS) brought in reinforcements... And attacked hard," Idris Nassen told AFP by telephone.
	"But thanks to air strikes and (the Kurdish fighters') ...

Jihadists take heavy losses in battle for Syria's Kobane

Expert-level talks between Iran and world powers aimed at clearing the path toward a nuclear deal will be held Wednesday and Thursday in Vienna, a top Iranian official said.
	Iran and the P5+1 group of nations (Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States plus Germany) are seeking a comprehensive agreement over Tehran's nuclear programme by a November 24 deadline.
	However the talks have been hit by disputes over what limits should be placed on Iran's atomic activities, particularly its enrichment of uranium, and on the process of lifting US, UN and European sanctions.
	"Negotiations between experts from Iran and the P5+1 will be held Wednesday and Thursday in Vienna," Iranian negotiator and deputy foreign minister Abbas Araqchi was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.
	The date of the next meeting between the Iranian delegation, the United States and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who is shepherding the negotiations, will be announced later, according to 

Iran, powers resume expert-level nuclear talks Wednesday

Nigerian military and intelligence officials raised doubts today about the implementation of a ceasefire with Boko Haram, as reports of fresh attacks filtered out of the country's northeast.
	The chief of defence staff and a senior presidential aide announced on Friday that agreement had been reached to end hostilities and the possible release of more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls.
	Air Marshal Alex Badeh said he had instructed all armed forces' chiefs to ensure the "immediate compliance" with the development.
	But a senior army officer in the violence-wracked northeast, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "Honestly, we are yet to receive any operational order on the ceasefire.
	"As such, we are battle-ready and would confront the terrorists if we see them."
	A senior intelligence official in the region also indicated to AFP that he had not received word about the purported ceasefire.
	Locals said yesterday that dozens of suspected Boko Haram gunmen had stormed the town of Abadam in 

'Ceasefire' doubts after attacks reported in Nigeria

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi is to visit Iran tomorrow for talks on Baghdad's battle against the Islamic State group, which holds swathes of the country, his office said.
	The one-day trip is part of Abadi's bid "to unite the efforts of the region and the world to help Iraq in its war against the terrorist group," it said in a statement issued today.
	The visit also aims to strengthen cooperation between the two neighbours "in the fields of energy, and housing and construction," among other areas.
	Iraq is fighting to push back IS, which overran much of the country's Sunni Arab heartland in a lightning offensive in June.
	Tehran is a key backer of the Shiite-led government in Baghdad.
	According to senior Iraqi Kurdish officials, it has deployed troops on the Iraqi side of the border in the Khanaqin area northeast of Baghdad.
	They say Iranian forces also played a role in the Shiite Turkmen town of Amerli, where security forces and allied militiamen broke a months-long ...

Iraq PM to visit Iran for talks on fight against IS

European foreign ministers meet tomorrow under pressure to scale up their response to the Ebola epidemic after warnings it could become the "disaster of our generation".
	Ahead of the talks, Aid agency Oxfam, which works in the two worst-hit countries -- Liberia and Sierra Leone -- issued a stark call for more troops, funding and medical staff to be sent to the west African epicentre of the outbreak.
	"There is a very strong political focus on this as the most immediate crisis facing us," a European diplomat said ahead of the meeting in Luxembourg.
	Another EU diplomat said Britain -- which has a navy ship bound for Sierra Leone laden with medical staff and supplies -- hoped to "galvanise EU action on Ebola".
	"There is a real sense that this is a tipping point and we must get to grips with it now," said the diplomat. "If we can deal with it in the country, we don't have to deal with it at home."
	The worst-ever outbreak of the deadly virus has so far killed more than 4,500 people, ...

EU to scale up Ebola response

A German student has died after falling into a steep ravine at a waterfall on a popular Malaysian resort island, police said today.
	The 24-year-old died at the scene yesterday after slipping while trying to take photos on Langkawi island in the country's north, said local police chief Harrith Kam Abdullah.
	"It was raining and so it was slippery. He sustained injuries at the back of his head," he told AFP.
	The man was studying at a university in the capital Kuala Lumpur and had travelled to the island with a group of other students, Harrith added.
	Several tourists have died this year in accidents in Malaysia, known for its pristine beaches and thick jungles.
	In September the body of a French tourist was found on another resort island, Tioman, after he went missing while snorkeling.
	Also on Tioman a Briton was found dead in June after going missing on a jungle hike. Malaysian police have yet to announce what caused his death.
	In February a German died in a fall on Mount Kinabalu, 

German student dies in plunge at Malaysia waterfall

Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon sought to calm fresh tensions with Washington today as he began a five-day trip to the United States.
	In a statement released ahead of his departure, Yaalon warned that no dispute should be allowed to "cast a shadow" over Israel's crucial relationship with its closest ally.
	"The relationship between the United States and Israel is based on shared interests and values, and disputes of one sort or another must not cast a shadow over it," he said.
	On Friday, two senior Israeli cabinet ministers took aim at US Secretary of State John Kerry over remarks linking the growth of Islamic extremism to Israel's decades-long conflict with the Palestinians.
	At issue was a statement by Kerry in which he said regional leaders approached him over the need to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians "because it was a cause of recruitment and of street anger and agitation".
	The two ministers seized on his words as linking the Middle East conflict to the 

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