Campaigners for and against Scottish independence scrambled for votes today ahead of a historic referendum, as a religious leader prayed for harmony after polls showed Scots were almost evenly split.
	The Church of Scotland's moderator John Chalmers called for Scots to "live in harmony with one another" whatever the result and hailed the feverish run-up to Thursday's vote as "a wonderful democratic concerto".
	"All of those who will vote 'Yes' and all of those who will vote 'No' need to remember that we belong together in the same Scotland," he told worshippers at St Mary's Episcopal Church in Edinburgh in a sermon broadcast on BBC radio nationwide.
	"We cannot afford to lose the momentum and interest in civic life which this campaign has generated," said Chalmers, moderator of the general assembly of the Church, the largest religious group in Scotland.
	The pro-union camp has been far ahead in the polls for many months, but the difference has narrowed in recent weeks and a raft of ...

Rivals bid for votes in 'knife-edge' Scotland referendum

PTI Automatic

Golf great Greg Norman said he was recovering in a US hospital today after almost cutting off his hand with a chainsaw.
	Australia's former world Number one posted a photo to Instagram of himself lying in a hospital bed with his left arm heavily bandaged.
	Norman, 59, issued a warning alongside the photo and suggested he had come close to severing one of his hands.
	"Working with a chainsaw ALWAYS be respectful of the unexpected. I was one lucky man today. Damaged, but not down & out. Still have left hand," Norman tweeted.
	Norman last week posted a photo of himself working with a chainsaw to cut back a small tree at what appears to be one of his seaside properties.
	Norman had one of the most high-profile careers in golf, winning two British Opens and reigning as world No.1 for 331 weeks in the 1980s and 1990s.
	Norman inspired many current day Australian professionals to play golf, including world No.2 Adam Scott.
	Scott paid tribute to the two-time major winner after becoming ...

Golf: Greg Norman almost severs hand with chainsaw

A record opening partnership in Tests against Bangladesh and untidy cricket by the tourists contributed to the West Indies reaching 246 for three at stumps on the first day of the second and final Test at the Beausejour Stadium on Saturday.
     Debutant Leon Johnson (66), playing in place of the unavailable veteran opening batsman Chris Gayle, and Kraigg Brathwaite (63) put on 143 for the first wicket after Mushfiqur Rahim won the toss and chose to field first.
     Their stand eclipsed the previous record established by Gayle and fellow-Jamaican Wavell Hinds in Dhaka in 2002.
     Yet as well as the makeshift opening pair performed, Bangladesh's opening bowlers aided the opponents with an indisciplined effort through the morning session, ironically when the pitch was at its most helpful to the seamers.
     Despite a much-improved performance in the second session, when Johnson and Brathwaite were removed within the space of a couple of runs, the visitors' efforts to make further ...

Johnson, Brathwaite put Windies on top

A single mother, people who have been married before and couples who have been living together "in sin" were married by Pope Francis in a taboo-challenging ceremony at the Vatican on Sunday.
	In another signal of the openness of his papacy, Francis asked to marry 40 people from different social backgrounds who would be a realistic sample of modern couples.
	Popes very rarely perform marriages -- the last one was in 2000.
	Marriage "is not an easy road, it's sometimes a contentious trip, but that's life", the pope told the couples, both young and old, as their families gathered for the solemn two-hour ceremony.
	"It's normal that couples fight. That always happens, but don't end the day without making peace, even a small gesture is enough," said the pontiff, who donned a red robe for the occasion rather than his usual white.
	One of the couples he married was single mother Gabriella and her partner Guido, whose previous marriage was annulled by an ecclesiastical tribunal.
	The last ...

Pope breaks taboo by marrying couples who lived 'in sin'

Scoreboard at stumps on the opening day of the second Test between the West Indies and Bangladesh at the Beausejour Stadium on Saturday.
     West Indies 1st Innings
     K. Brathwaite c Taijul Islam b Shafiul Islam   63
     L. Johnson lbw Taijul Islam                    66
     K. Edwards c Shamsur Rahman b Mahmudullah      16
     D. Bravo not out                               44
     S. Chanderpaul not out                         34
     Extras (b8, lb2, w9, nb4)                      23
     Total (90 overs, 3 wickets)                   246
     To bat: J. Blackwood, D. Ramdin (captain), J. Taylor, K. Roach, S. Benn, S. Gabriel.
     Fall of wickets: 1-143, 2-145, 3-185.
     Bowling: Al-Amin Hossain 18-3-33-0 (1w), Shafiul Islam 19-7-37-1 (1w), Robiul Islam 19-4-55-0 (3w, 4nb), Taijul Islam 20-4-79-1, Mahmudullah 12-2-25-1, Nasir Hossain 2-0-7-0.

West Indies v Bangladesh 2nd Test scoreboard

The Pacific nation of Fiji will Wednesday hold its first elections in almost eight years, with voters urged to embrace democracy after decades of ethnic tensions and military meddling in civil affairs.
	The September 17 vote is considered pivotal to ending the archipelago's "coup culture", which saw four governments toppled between 1987 and 2006 amid instability stemming from tensions between indigenous Fijians and ethnic Indians.
	After nearly eight years of authoritarian rule, 590,000 registered voters in the population of about 900,000 will have the chance to select from 262 candidates standing for election to a new 50-seat parliament set up under a constitution adopted in 2013.
	A multinational observer group -- led by Australia, India, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea -- will monitor the poll to ensure it is free and fair.
	Fiji's status as the largest and most economically powerful South Pacific island nation means the election matters not just to Fiji, but to neighbouring ...

Fijians go to polls, seek to end 'coup culture'

Forty people have now died as a result of a building collapse at the megachurch of one of Nigeria's most famous preachers and televangelists, the country's main rescue body said today.
	"It's now 40 dead," Ibrahim Farinloye, southwest coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), told AFP by text message.
	Some 124 people were rescued alive from the rubble of the building, believed to be a guesthouse for foreign followers of TB Joshua's The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), in the Ikotun area of Lagos.
	The two-storey building, located in the sprawling compound of the vast church complex, came down on Friday afternoon. It was undergoing construction work to add extra floors.
	TB Joshua, dubbed "The Prophet", has an almost fanatical following among Nigerians and across the world, attracted by his purported healing powers and prophecies.
	Joshua preaches to massive crowds at his megachurch in Ikotun every week and, according to his website, SCOAN "hosts ...

Death toll now 40 in Nigeria building collapse: rescuers

Samsung said today it had requested a state investigation of senior executives from its South Korean rival LG for allegedly destroying its products at stores in Berlin, renewing a bitter feud between the electronics giants.
	Samsung said it had asked Seoul prosecutors to investigate "a president and other executives of a Korean company" for defamation, property damage and obstruction of business.
	LG admitted Sunday that its executives were the target of the accusation.
	Samsung complained earlier this month that several washing machines at two major electronics stores in the German capital were found damaged in the same manner.
	The incident took place during the high-profile IFA trade fair in Berlin, where major electronics giants including Samsung and LG showcase their latest gadgets and appliances.
	Surveillance video footage showed several Asian men -- later identified as executives from the rival firm -- destroy door hinges of the washers and leave, Samsung said.
	"The company ..

Samsung seeks state probe of LG executives for vandalism

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will meet his French counterpart Francois Hollande in Paris on Friday, ahead of a key address to the United Nations, his spokesman said.
	Abbas will spend two days in Paris before heading to New York, where he will attend the UN General Assembly, which opens on September 24, his spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said today.
	The Palestinian leader will use his speech to the UN to try to rally support for a new diplomatic initiative to set a date for ending the Israeli occupation.
	He recently obtained backing from the Arab League for his plan, which aims to secure an end to the Israeli occupation within three years and the establishment of a Palestinian state in the territories Israel occupied in the Six-Day War of 1967.
	Earlier this month, a senior Palestinian official said the leadership was going to seek a UN Security Council vote on a resolution setting a three-year deadline for ending the occupation, despite knowing any such text would be vetoed by ..

Abbas, Hollande to meet in Paris Friday: Palestinians

A Syrian air strike on an Islamic State (IS) training camp in the jihadist-held east killed 17 militants and a child, a monitoring group said in a new toll today.
	The yesterday strike hit dormitories in the camp in the Euphrates valley town of Tibni in Deir Ezzor province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
	The child who was killed had been visiting his elder brother who was training with IS, the Observatory said.
	President Bashar al-Assad's regime has stepped up its air campaign against the jihadists in recent weeks, carrying out near-daily air strikes against areas under their control.
	The air force also hit jihadist targets in neighbouring Hasakeh province late yesterday, the Observatory said.
	IS fighters have been battling both government troops and Kurdish militia in the northeastern province, which has a large Kurdish population.
	US President Barack Obama announced on Wednesday that he had authorised the expansion to Syria of the US air campaign against IS he ...

Syria air strike on jihadist camp kills 18: new toll

A boat sank today in bad weather off eastern Indonesia, killing at least 14 people and leaving 12 others missing, an official said.
	The long wooden boat carrying 35 passengers went down in the waters off Sula islands after it was hit by towering waves in rough weather, National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.
	"Of the 35 passengers, nine survived, 14 died and 12 are still missing," he said, adding that a rescue team comprising of police and military officials were searching for the missing victims.
	Provincial disaster official Hasan Ahmad said all the passengers were Indonesian.
	"They were travelling from one village to another but faced bad weather along the way," he told AFP.
	"There's no foreigner on the boat. We are still trying to find other survivors," he added.
	Indonesia relies heavily on boats to connect its more than 17,000 islands, but has a poor maritime safety record.
	Eighteen foreign tourists and five Indonesians survived after their ..

14 killed, 12 missing as boat sinks in Indonesia

Japanese actress and singer Yoshiko "Shirley" Yamaguchi, known for her popular songs "Fragrance of the Night" and "Suzhou Serenade", has died due to heart failure at the age of 94.
	Yamaguchi, who was born to Japanese parents in pre-war Manchuria, where her father worked for the railway, entertained Chinese and Japanese audiences posing as a Chinese under her assumed identity Li Xianglan.
	The actress, who formally went by the surname of her late husband and diplomat Hiroshi Otaka, succumbed to heart failure at her home in Tokyo on September 7, her family said today.
	"She always stayed home in recent years because of her old age but led a normal life," a family member told AFP by telephone. "She watched various DVDs including movies and documentaries from other countries like China and the United States."
	Yamaguchi was long regarded as Chinese after making her debut in the 1938 movie "Honeymoon Express" by Manchuria Film Productions.
	Some of her movies at this time were seen as ...

Japanese actress Shirley Yamaguchi dies at 94

A Nigerian Air Force jet has been missing for two days after disappearing in the country's far northeast, where troops are fighting Boko Haram insurgents, the military said today.
	The Alpha Jet, with two pilots on board, left its base in Yola, Adamawa state, on what was described as a "routine operational mission" at about 10:45 am (Local time) on Friday and had been expected back by midday the same day.
	"Since then all efforts to establish contact with the aircraft have not yielded any positive result," military spokesman Chris Olukolade said in a statement.
	Search and rescue teams are trying to track the location of the plane and contact its crew, he added.
	The Alpha Jet was designed and manufactured by Germany's Dornier and Dassault-Breguet of France in the 1970s as a training and tactical support aircraft.
	A total of 512 were produced in all for 10 air forces around the world, including Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Togo, according to the Dassault Aviation ...

Nigerian Air Force plane missing in far northeast: military

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said today Australia would deploy 600 troops to the United Arab Emirates to join the US-led international coalition gearing up for war against Islamic State jihadists.
	Abbott's announcement comes two days after Canberra lifted its terror alert level to "high" on growing concern about Australian jihadists returning from fighting in Iraq and Syria.
	Abbott said the deployment of about "400 air personnel and about 200 military personnel" followed a formal request from Washington for Australia to contribute to the international coalition against the rampaging Islamist group.
	He said Australia was "not deploying combat troops but contributing to international efforts to prevent the humanitarian crisis from deepening".
	"There are obviously further decisions to be taken before Australian forces will be committed to combat operations in Iraq," Abbott told a press conference in Darwin.
	"Nevertheless, Australia is prepared to engage in international operations to .

Australia commits 600 troops to anti-IS campaign

Three people have been found dead as rescuers searched for at least three others who are still missing after a ferry sank in waters off the central Philippines, the government said today.
	At least 110 people have been rescued after the sinking of the Maharlika II ferry last night, said President Benigno Aquino's spokeswoman Abigail Valte.
	There had been some confusion over the number of people aboard the vessel when it went down but at least three were still unaccounted for, Valte said on government radio.
	"They are trying to get a more precise number of the people who were on the vessel," she said.
	Valte said the captain had told the coast guard there were 116 people on board when the vessel went down in bad weather, in contrast with earlier reports that there were only 84 passengers and crew on the manifest.
	Valte said rescue boats were still searching for survivors at the scene of the sinking, about six nautical miles from the small island of Panaon, or about 680 kilometres ...

Three die in Philippine ferry mishap: Govt

Indonesia's anti-terrorism police have arrested four Turks suspected of being linked to the Islamic State jihadist group, a spokesman said today.
	The elite Detachment 88 police squad arrested the men, along with three Indonesians, after tailing their car yesterday in central Sulawesi district of Poso, a known hotbed for militant activity, Boy Rafli Amar told AFP.
	"They are Turkish," Amar said, confirming the arrest and adding that the men were being investigated for their connection to the dreaded Islamist group.
	"We suspect they are linked and are investigating further," he said.
	Indonesia is home to the world's biggest Muslim population of about 225 million and has long struggled with terrorism. But a successful clampdown in recent years has seen the end of major deadly attacks.
	Jakarta has estimated that dozens of Indonesians have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he was concerned about their return, adding that he had tasked ...

Indonesia arrests four Turks over Islamic State link

Atletico Madrid gained some measure of revenge for their heartbreaking Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid by beating the European champions 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
     A second consecutive La Liga defeat for Real leaves them already six points adrift of leaders Barcelona after just three games as they were 2-0 winners over Athletic Bilbao earlier in the day thanks to a double from Neymar here.
     Atletico got off to the best possible start as Tiago headed home Koke's corner, but Real were soon level as Cristiano Ronaldo won and then converted a penalty midway through the first-half.
     However, with suspended coach Diego Simeone watching on from the stands, Atletico grabbed all three points 13 minutes from time when Arda Turan swept home Juanfran's low cross.
     Ronaldo was playing after a three-week layoff due to injury, but even his return couldn't cure Madrid's weakness at set-pieces which was exposed in their 4-2 defeat to Real Sociedad last time out.
     ..

Derby delight for Atletico over Real, Neymar inspires Barca

The US Navy has suspended its search for a pilot who was missing after his jet collided with another US aircraft in the western Pacific Ocean.
	The pilot, whose name was not released pending notification to the family, was presumed dead, the US 7th Fleet said in statement yesterday.
	The crash involved two US F/A-18 Hornet jets, which collided Friday at 5:40 pm local time in the western Pacific about 250 nautical miles (463 kilometers) west of Wake Island, it said.
	The Hornets -- neither of which have been recovered -- were from Carrier Air Wing 17 embarked on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.
	One pilot was quickly rescued and received medical care on the ship, but the search for the second airman stretched till yesterday with no success.
	The "extensive search" involved multiple ships and helicopters, the Navy said.
	The US 7th Fleet said the jets were assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 94 and Strike Fighter Squadron 113.
	They had launched from the flight deck and were ...

US Navy calls off search for pilot downed in jet crash

Seventeen people were killed when a building collapsed at the megachurch of one of Nigeria's most famous preachers and televangelists, the country's main rescue body has said.
	Ibrahim Farinloye, southwest coordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) told AFP yesterday in a text message that the death toll was 17.
	Another 124 people were rescued alive from the rubble of the building in the Ikotun area of Lagos.
	The agency said earlier that at least three people were known to have died when the building -- thought to be a guesthouse for foreign members of TB Joshua's The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) -- came down on Friday.
	Early indications suggested the structure collapsed during building work to add extra floors to the two-storey facility.
	Rescue operations were ongoing, Farinloye said.
	TB Joshua, dubbed "The Prophet", has an almost fanatical following among Nigerians and across the world, attracted by his purported healing powers and ...

17 killed in Nigeria church building collapse: rescuers

The Islamic State jihadist group has claimed it beheaded British aid worker David Haines, in what would be the third such execution in recent weeks, after two US journalists were shown murdered.
	The Islamist group released a video yesterday, available on the website of private terrorism monitoring group SITE, purportedly showing a masked militant beheading Haines.
	The two-minute-27-second video titled "A Message to the Allies of America" blames British Prime Minister David Cameron for joining forces with the United States, which has said it is at "war" with the jihadists and launched air strikes against them in Iraq.
	"You entered voluntarily into a coalition with the United States against the Islamic State, just as your predecessor Tony Blair did, following a trend amongst our British prime ministers who can't find the courage to say no to the Americans," the executioner says in the video.
	The militant, who may be the same man as in the previous videos, told Britain the alliance ..

Islamic State claims beheading of British hostage: SITE

US authorities today hunted for a suspect who shot and killed a US state trooper and wounded another in an ambush outside police barracks in Pennsylvania, calling the attack "cowardly."
	State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan urged members of the public to come forward with any clues they might have following last night's assault at the Blooming Grove Barracks in Pike County, in a bid to track down the perpetrator.
	"This attack was an ambush. Our troopers were leaving the barracks and were shot without warning and really had no chance to defend themselves," Noonan told reporters.
	"It's a cowardly attack. It's an attack upon all of us in society and the people of Pennsylvania."
	Authorities have offered a USD 20,000 reward for any information leading to the capture and conviction of the person responsible.
	"We're looking for the cooperation of the public, whether it's money that would motivate you or just outrage at this terrible act," Noonan said.
	"The Pennsylvania State Police ...

AFP

AFP

Page 2844 - Afp