A New Yorker who was in prison for 29 years for a murder was exonerated when a judge determined that his conviction was based on a false confession.
	David McCallum was 16 years old when he and Willie Stuckey were arrested in 1985 for the October 20 kidnapping and murder of 20-year-old Nathan Blenner in Queens.
	Blenner's body was found one day later in a rough area of Brooklyn.
	The two teens were arrested shortly after the discovery of the body, and confessed to the crime. They were convicted the following year and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
	"After examining all of the facts and circumstances of the case against McCallum and Stuckey -- the verdict against whom was based entirely on their confessions -- the convictions cannot be sustained," Brooklyn district attorney Ken Thompson said in a statement yesterday.
	Thompson has asked a court to vacate the sentences and free McCallum. A judge was expected to rule later in the day.
	Stuckey died years ago in prison.
	Since ..

New Yorker cleared after 29 years in jail for murder

PTI Automatic

Hong Kong's Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen said today that any prosecution arising from police brutality would be handled impartially and said electoral rights in the city should be subject to "reasonable restraint".
	On a visit to London, Yuen said he had not seen footage of an alleged assault on a handcuffed pro-democracy protester but told AFP there were "very well-established procedures" in Hong Kong to handle police complaints.
	Referring to any possible criminal prosecutions arising from the alleged police beating, Yuen said: "I can guarantee that if there is any need to move in that direction, my department will handle the matter in an independent and impartial manner."
	Demonstrators in Hong Kong have blocked roads in the semi-autonomous Chinese city since September 28, angry at Beijing's insistence that it vet election candidates for the city's next leader in 2017.
	Tensions have increased in recent days as police have begun tearing down some barricades around protest ...

HK justice minister vows impartiality on police brutality

A group of men accused by police of "training for jihad" in broad daylight in a French park were merely taking a self-defence class.
	The seven men, some with beards, raised alarm in the eastern city of Strasbourg when they were seen acting out scenes of combat with fake weapons yesterday.
	Police were called to the scene where they checked the men's identity documents and held one of them for questioning.
	A police source said yesterday that the men had said they were "training to fight in the name of jihad".
	According to a 35-year-old member of the group -- a Muslim speaking on condition of anonymity -- the man held was their self-defence teacher.
	The man admitted his teacher had yelled "infidel" to police during a heated exchange, but denied that any of them had admitted they were training to join jihad in Syria.
	"It was our first course, we hardly knew each other. We were doing some stretches, ran a few laps, practised body placement, punch-kick combinations," he said.
	It was .

Self-defence class 'mistaken' for jihad training in France

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha is expected to be greeted by protests as he makes his first outing on the world stage since seizing power in a military coup in May.
	The head of the junta is due in Milan for the ASEM summit of European and Asian leaders to the fury of democracy activists, who have urged the European Union to increase its pressure on the regime.
	Several hundred protesters are expected to take part in a number of demonstrations in the northern Italian city, one of which will be addressed by exiled Thai academic and activist Junya Yimprasert.
	"There is no sign that Prayut has any intention of allowing Thailand to return to the democratic process," Yimprasert told AFP today.
	"The EU should not have given him a visa to travel here and they should not be engaging with him. They should be telling him to restore democracy in Thailand immediately."
	Prayut, 60, retired from the army at the end of last month and has said he plans to implement reforms and rid Thailand ..

Thai PM faces protest on first outing on world stage

Hillary Clinton hits the campaign trail today to support a Democratic Senate hopeful, one of several events that could offer sneak peeks at her 2016 presidential aspirations.
	The former secretary of state and presumptive Democratic frontrunner for the next White House race was in Kentucky lending her political celebrity to Alison Lundergan Grimes, who has mounted an underdog race to unseat five-term Senator Mitch McConnell, the chamber's top Republican.
	The race, in which polls show McConnell with a slim lead, has garnered national attention for possibly playing a role in Republican efforts to take back the Senate.
	"Hillary's visit will propel the immense amount of excitement and energy that surrounds Alison's campaign and help translate this strong enthusiasm into votes come election day," Grimes campaign manager Jonathan Hurst said in a statement.
	The event follows several attended by Clinton in recent weeks, including an appearance with Colorado's embattled Senator Mark Udall ..

As Hillary Clinton stumps for Democrats, 2016 looms large

Dubai health authorities quarantined today an air passenger who arrived from Liberia after he showed symptoms of Ebola, in the first suspected infection registered in the Gulf region.
	The United Arab Emirates health ministry said the man who travelled from Liberia through Morocco had been "isolated for checks after he suffered diarrhoea," although his body temperature was normal.
	All passengers on the same plane have undergone the necessary checks, the ministry said in a statement carried by the official WAM news agency.
	The airport of Dubai is one of the main hubs for travel between the West, Asia and Australasia.
	Ebola is only transmitted by close contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person who is showing symptoms such as fever, diarrhoea or vomiting.
	The worst Ebola outbreak on record has so far claimed 4,493 lives, out of 8,997 recorded cases since the start of the year, most of them in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Dubai isolates traveller from Liberia over Ebola signs

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko in Milan on Friday, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said today.
	Renzi said the two men at the centre of Europe's worst security crisis in years would meet at 8:00 am (1030 IST) on the sidelines of a summit of Asian and European leaders (ASEM).
	The talks will also be attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron and other senior officials, Renzi said.
	Renzi said a statement would be made to the press on the outcome of the talks. The Italian premier, who is hosting the ASEM summit as Rome currently holds the European Union's rotating presidency, will meet Poroshenko tomorrow evening and hold further talks with Putin on Friday afternoon.
	Putin and Poroshenko last met one-on-one in August in Belarus. They failed then to agree a peace plan for Ukraine, but did reach an accord in early September. Since then they have been in .

Italy confirms Putin-Poroshenko meeting in Milan Friday

Oil prices reached new multi-year low points today owing to a supply glut and weak global demand, before clawing back some ground as poor US retail data pressured the dollar.
	Brent struck USD 83.37 a barrel -- the lowest level for nearly four years -- and the WTI contract dropped to USD 80.01, a point last seen more than two years ago.
	In later deals, Brent North Sea crude for delivery in November stood at USD 84.89 a barrel, down 18 cents compared with yesterday's close.
	US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for November was down 13 cents at USD 81.71.
	Losses were reduced however after official data showed US retail sales had dropped 0.3 per cent in September -- the first fall in seven months -- raising concerns even US growth may catch the cold that has hit Europe.
	The data caused the dollar to slide, making crude oil priced in the US unit cheaper for buyers holding rival currencies, pushing up demand.
	Prices are however likely to continue falling "as long as OPEC makes ..

Oil prices hit new depths on oversupply

Almost 4,500 people have died in the Ebola epidemic that broke out in west Africa at the start of the year, according to fresh figures released today the World Health Organization.
	The WHO said that as of October 12, 4,493 people have died from Ebola out of a total of 8,997 registered cases in seven countries.
	The last official WHO toll, valid to October 8, put the figures at 4,033 dead from 8,399 cases.
	The seven countries are split into two groups by WHO. The first includes Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone -- by far the worst-affected nations.
	The second includes Nigeria, Senegal, Spain and United States, which have seen a small number of highly isolated cases.
	Liberia has been hardest-hit, with 4,249 cases and 2,458 deaths, followed by Sierra Leone with 3,252 cases and 1,183 deaths.
	Guinea, where the epidemic originated in December, has seen 1,472 cases and 843 deaths.
	Health workers continue to pay a heavy price as they battle the epidemic, with 236 deaths out of 427 cases .

Ebola death toll close to 4,500: WHO

France announced today it would begin carrying out health checks on travellers arriving by plane from Ebola-hit nations.
	"France will put in place a system of controls for planes arriving from the zone affected by the virus," the presidency said in a statement.
	The announcement was made after President Francois Hollande held a video conference with US counterpart Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Italian premier Matteo Renzi to discuss the virus.
	France joins Britain, the United States and Canada in carrying out passenger screenings, as the United Nations warned Ebola was outpacing efforts to combat the disease.
	The French statement did not say whether checks would be carried out only on planes from west Africa, as more cases crop up elsewhere.
	The worst Ebola outbreak on record of has claimed 4,493 lives, out of 8,997 recorded cases since the start of the year.
	Most of the cases have been in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. 

France to carry out Ebola checks at airports

Two Brazilian companies today raised their takeover offer for US banana giant Chiquita, in an attempt to woo it away from a merger with Irish fruit producer Fyffes.
	Cutrale Group, a juice exporter, and investment bank Safra Group said they were offering USD 14 per share in cash for Chiquita Brands International, valuing the bid at USD 658 million.
	"Unlike the proposed combination with Fyffes, the superior Cutrale-Safra offer provides Chiquita shareholders complete certainty with respect to the value of their Chiquita investment," the Brazilian companies said.
	Their initial bid of USD 13 per share, or USD 611 million, on August 11 had been rejected by Chiquita as "inadequate."
	Chiquita said in a statement it had received the USD 14 per share offer and its board of directors "will carefully review and consider the offer in light of the best interests of the Company and its shareholders."
	Chiquita postponed a shareholder vote on a merger with Fyffes from September to October 24 ...

Brazilian firms sweeten takeover bid for Chiquita

The second infection of a Texas health care worker with the dangerous Ebola virus is "very concerning," officials said today, warning more US cases were possible in the coming days.
	Both became infected while caring for a Liberian patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.
	The second woman should not have boarded a domestic flight in the days before she was diagnosed, though there was an "extremely low likelihood" that she could have infected fellow travelers, said Thomas Frieden, the head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
	"She was in a group of individuals known to have exposure to Ebola. She should not have traveled on a commercial airline," Frieden told reporters.
	CDC guidelines outline the need for "controlled movement," and that does not include taking any kind of public transportation, he said.
	He also noted that the woman was self-monitoring for signs of Ebola symptoms, and that she found her temperature to be 99.5 -- ...

2nd US Ebola case 'very concerning,' more possible

Global gender gaps have significantly decreased over the past ten years, particularly in early education and the labour market, according to a new report published today.
	The report, by the Boston Consulting Group for the Women's Forum for the Economy and Society, showed that primary school attendance (age six to 11), had reached 91 per cent worldwide.
	And the United Nations Gender Parity Index showed that while there were 87 girls for every 100 boys in 2000, that ratio has now improved to 95 girls per 100 boys.
	However, secondary school attendance lags behind for both sexes, with girls still less likely to attend, the report said.
	In OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) rich countries, there is still a large gap in the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) at the university level.
	And only 43 per cent of women who study science will go on to pursue a career in physics, mathematics, or engineering, versus 71 per cent of men.
	The .

Gender gap shrinking in schools, workplace: report

Turkey today said only Syrian refugees would be allowed to cross its border to fight jihadists for the mainly Kurdish Syrian town of Kobane, rejecting calls from the West to fully open the frontier.
	Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters that "those coming from Syria can go back to join the fight" for Kobane, but that Turkish and other nationals would not be allowed to cross the border.
	Kurdish fighters are seeking to hold back the advance by Islamic State (IS) jihadists to take Kobane and Turkey is coming under increasing pressure to allow Kurdish reinforcements to cross the nearby border.
	But Davutoglu said: "It's not acceptable to claim that this crisis has happened just because Turkey is not opening its borders."
	"We don't let Turkish citizens go into Syria because we don't want them to be a part of the conflict in Syria. We are trying to stop those who are attempting to do so illegally. It is against the laws in a constitutional state," he said.
	Turkey has been wary ..

Turkey says only Syrian refugees can cross border to Kobane

US first lady Michelle Obama -- showing she is willing to go the extra mile for her anti-obesity campaign -- has busted out a few of her dance moves... With a turnip.
	In a short video message, Obama holds up a turnip, asks "Turnip -- for what?" and then sways and nods her head to the hypnotic hip hop tune of "Turn Down for What" by DJ Snake and Lil Jon.
	The brief video clip quickly went viral, with more than 8.4 million views on Vine as of midday Wednesday.
	It all started in an #AskTheFirstLady segment via Twitter when Iman Crosson, who has impersonated President Barack Obama, asked her: "How many calories do you burn every time you 'turn up'?!"
	The first lady responded with the video, posted both on Vine and Twitter.
	Obama has long worked on "Let's Move!" -- her program to get American kids to eat healthier and be more active.
	It was not even the first time she has danced with a vegetable.

Michelle Obama rocks out with turnip to promote good eating

A Libyan Al-Qaeda suspect captured by US troops in Tripoli last year told a US court today that he had been on hunger strike when questioned by FBI agents.
	Anas al-Libi, 50, took the stand Wednesday for the first time during a hearing to suppress an incriminating statement he gave the Federal Bureau of Investigation while being flown to New York last year.
	He is due to go on trial on November 3 for conspiracy charges over the 1998 Al-Qaeda bombings of US embassies in East Africa that killed 244 people and wounded more than 5,000 others. He has pleaded not guilty.
	During testimony that lasted 30 minutes, Libi told a US federal court in New York that he was handed to the FBI in handcuffs on October 12, 2013 and flown to New York, where he was admitted to a hospital upon arrival.
	Speaking very quietly through a translator, he told the court that he had been on hunger strike during the seven-hour flight.
	He told "anyone who asked me" that he was on hunger strike but did not say when .

Libi tells US court of hunger strike under questioning

Yemen's Shiite rebels seized more territory south of the capital today and set off deadly clashes with Al-Qaeda as they rapidly expand their area of control.
	Already in control of Sanaa since September 21 and the strategic port city of Hudeida since yesterday, the rebels on Wednesday appeared to have taken control of two more provinces, Dhamar and Ibb, security officials said.
	Just as in Sanaa and Hudeida, the rebels faced no opposition as they entered the two provinces and set up checkpoints, the officials said.
	The rebels, known as Huthi, have been taking advantage of a power vacuum in Yemen to seize control of significant areas, threatening the authority of the Sunni-led central government, a key ally in US efforts to combat Al-Qaeda.
	Their rapid expansion has raised concerns of Yemen -- already suffering from chronic instability and widespread violence -- spiralling into further unrest.
	Deadly fighting broke out Tuesday when the Huthis tried to expand out of the town of Rada .

Yemen Shiite rebels expand southward, clash with Qaeda

The US government's budget deficit for fiscal year 2014 shrank to its lowest level in six years as tax revenues rose amid a growing economy, the Treasury Department said today.
	The deficit stood at USD 483 billion in the year that ended September 30, a decline of 29 percent from the 2013 fiscal year shortfall of USD 680 billion.
	It was the smallest deficit since 2008, the first year of the severe recession.
	As a percentage of the economy, the deficit fell below 3.0 percent of GDP to 2.8 percent, a level last seen in 2007. In 2013 that share was 4.1 percent.
	Last year's deficit-to-GDP ratio was "less than the average of the last 40 years," Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said at a news conference.
	Revenues, mostly taxes, rose nine percent to USD 3.02 trillion, while spending climbed only one percent to USD 3.50 trillion.
	Lew and Shaun Donovan, head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), credited President Barack Obama's leadership in the budget process for driving down the ...

US budget deficit shrinks to lowest level since 2008

A Saudi court today sentenced prominent Shiite cleric and anti-government protest leader Nimr al-Nimr to death after convicting him of sedition, his family said.
	The verdict risks a further escalation of tensions with Saudi Arabia's minority Shiite community.
	Nimr was a driving force behind demonstrations against the Sunni authorities that erupted in 2011 in the oil-flush east, alongside a Shiite-led protest movement in neighbouring Bahrain.
	The cleric was also convicted of seeking "foreign meddling" in the country, a reference to Iran, his brother Mohammed al-Nimr wrote on Twitter.
	He was found guilty of "disobeying" the kingdom's rulers and taking up arms against security forces, his brother said.
	Nimr's family accused the court of ignoring the sheik's "peaceful and non violent approach," saying the case had caused "social and political discontent".
	"The ruling... Is political par excellence," his relatives in the Eastern Province communities of Awamiya and Qatif said in a ...

Saudi Shiite cleric sentenced to death for 'sedition'

Kurdish and Iraqi forces fought to hold back advancing jihadists on the Syria-Turkey border and near Baghdad today as Washington pushed to rally its allies against the Islamic State group.
	In the Syrian town of Kobane on the Turkish border, Kurdish fighters backed by a flurry of US-led air strikes were reported to have stopped IS fighters from gaining more ground and had even recaptured some positions.
	US Central Command said American aircraft struck the jihadists with 18 raids near Kobane yesterday and today, hitting 16 buildings occupied by the group.
	In Iraq, pro-government forces beat back an hours-long jihadist attack on a key city west of Baghdad, while reinforcements reached a strategic town threatened by militants.
	But US military officials warned yesterday that IS had the "tactical momentum" and President Barack Obama was to hold a video conference with the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy to discuss the IS threat.
	Obama told military chiefs from more than ..

Battles rage to hold back IS as Obama consults leaders

The EU suggested today that member states give medical information at airports to travellers from Ebola-hit west African countries but stopped short of recommending full continent-wide screening.
	The issue of monitoring is due to come up when EU health ministers meet in Brussels tomorrow after Britain last week became the first European country to introduce screening at airports and the Eurostar railway stations.
	Britain followed the example of the US and Canada.
	"The EU is not recommending entry screening as such. This is a decision for member states to take," said an official from the European Commission, the EU's executive branch.
	"The main value of entry screening is to provide information to passengers that might have been exposed," he said.
	For example, he said, passengers could be given a telephone number to call in case Ebola symptoms appear.
	They could also be told not to show up at hospital emergency rooms without warning in order to avoid the risk of contagion.
	The ..

AFP

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