US Defence Secretary Mark Esper discussed "strategic cooperation" with Saudi King Salman Tuesday, shortly after Washington ordered thousands of soldiers to the kingdom as tensions fester with Iran.
The meeting in Riyadh, where Esper arrived late Monday after an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, also took in defence issues and the current situation in the region, the official SPA news agency said.
On October 11, the Pentagon said it was deploying new US troops to Saudi Arabia after Riyadh asked for reinforcements following a mid-September drone and missile attack on Saudi oil plants, which Washington blames on Iran.
Esper has said that two fighter squadrons and additional missile defence batteries were being sent to Saudi Arabia, bringing to about 3,000 the total number of troops deployed to the kingdom since last month.
The September 14 attack knocked out two major facilities of state oil giant Aramco in Abqaiq and Khurais, roughly halving Saudi Arabia's oil production.
Washington ...

Pentagon chief meets Saudi king after troop deployment

PTI Automatic

Social media app TikTok has taken down accounts that were posting propaganda videos for the Islamic State group, a company employee said Tuesday, in the latest scandal to hit the popular platform.
TikTok, which is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, claimed some 500 million users globally last year, making it one of the most popular social apps.
An employee at TikTok told AFP that about 10 accounts were removed for posting the videos.
"Only one of those videos even had views that reached into double digits before being taken down," said the staffer, who declined to be named.
The videos featured corpses being paraded through streets and Islamic State fighters with guns, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the story on Monday.
The Journal said the posts were from about two dozen accounts, which were identified by social media intelligence company Storyful.
"Content promoting terrorist organizations have absolutely no place on TikTok," the company said in a statement .

Social media app TikTok removes Islamic State propaganda videos

China's "Great Firewall" system of online censorship blocks domestic access to nearly a quarter of the foreign news organisations accredited to report in the country, a press watchdog said Tuesday.
Beijing bars its citizens from accessing the publicly available websites of 23 percent of 215 international news organisations that have journalists based in China, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China (FCCC) said in a statement.
Thirty-one per cent of news organisations that publish primarily in English, the most widely-spoken foreign language in China, are blocked, the FCCC said in a statement.
The numbers were determined via an analysis by the press club and GreatFire.org, which tracks Chinese online censorship.
The statement was released on the final day of the China-organised sixth annual World Internet Conference in the eastern city of Wuzhen, which the ruling Communist Party uses to further its argument that governments should be able to police their own online turf.
"China's ...

China blocks almost a quarter of accredited foreign news sites: watchdog

Bolivia braced for a general strike on Tuesday hours after violence broke out in several cities when the main opposition candidate rejected presidential election results that seemed set to hand a controversial victory to long-time incumbent Evo Morales.
Opposition supporters reacted with fury, torching electoral offices in the southwestern cities of Sucre and Potosi, while rival supporters clashed in the capital La Paz.
Incidents were reported in cities across the South American country.
Carlos Mesa, who came a close second to Morales in Sunday's polls -- forcing a run-off, according to preliminary results -- denounced revised results released by election authorities as a "fraud."
"We are not going to recognize those results that are part of a shameful, consumated fraud, that is putting Bolivian society in a situation of unnecessary tension," said Mesa.
International monitors from the Organization of American States voiced "deep concern" at sudden changes to the election count to show 

Bolivia braces for general strike after vote chaos

Asian markets rose Tuesday on growing optimism that China and the US will sign a partial trade deal next month, while the pound dipped slightly as dealers await another key Brexit vote in Westminster.
Donald Trump reinforced hopes Monday that he and Xi Jinping will be able to put pen to paper on a mini pact, saying China had already started promised purchases of farm goods, and that the first part of a wider commitment was almost complete.
"We'll be able to, we think, sign a completed document with China on phase one," Trump said at the White House, adding they would then move on to the next phases.
Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said efforts were being made for it to be ready when the leaders meet at the APEC summit next month in Chile.
And Trump's economics adviser Larry Kudlow indicated tariffs planned to go into effect in December could be cancelled if the talks go well.
Increasing signs of progress in the 18-month trade war provided some much-needed relief to global ...

Asian markets rise on China-US trade hopes, pound edges down

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party held onto power in a nail-biter of a Canadian general election on Monday, but as a weakened minority government.
Television projections as of 2 am Tuesday (0600 GMT) declared the Liberals winners or leading in 156 of the nation's 338 electoral districts, versus 122 for his main rival Andrew Scheer and the Conservatives, after polling stations across six time zones closed.
As early as Tuesday, Trudeau will have to form an alliance with one or more smaller parties in order to govern a fractured nation.
The first test of his future government will follow in the coming weeks with a speech to parliament outlining his legislative priorities and a confidence vote.
"From coast to coast to coast, tonight Canadians rejected division and negativity," Trudeau said. "And they rejected cuts and austerity and voted in favour of a progressive agenda and strong action on climate change."
He reassured Quebec that his Liberal government, despite an electoral 

Trudeau's Liberals win Canada vote, will form minority govt

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited government troops on the front line with jihadists in Idlib Tuesday, his first visit to the northwestern province since the start of the conflict.
"President Assad meets members of the Syrian army on the front line in the town of Hbeit in the Idlib countryside," the president's office said on its social media networks.
The Idlib region of some three million people has been protected by a Russian-brokered ceasefire deal since August 31, but skirmishes persist on the ground.

Syria's Assad visits Idlib front line: presidency

Malaysian ex-leader Najib Razak engaged in a "well-planned" plot to plunder state fund 1MDB, prosecutors argued Tuesday as a judge prepares to decide whether his first trial over the scandal should proceed.
But the defence team of the 66-year-old, who was voted out of office last year in large part due to allegations he and his cronies pilfered massive sums from the fund to buy everything from real estate to artwork, said that the evidence presented in court was not enough to prove his guilt.
After being ejected from office, Najib was hit with dozens of charges and his first 1MDB-linked trial began in April, centring on claims 42 million ringgit (USD 10 million) was stolen from a former unit of the fund.
The prosecution wrapped up its case in August. On Tuesday prosecutors and defence lawyers presented arguments before the judge rules on November 11 whether the case is strong enough to move forward.
If it proceeds, Najib will likely begin his defence in December.
Prosecutor V ...

Malaysia's Najib engaged in 'well-planned' plot to plunder 1MDB

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday threatened to resume Turkey's military offensive in Syria "with greater determination" unless the withdrawal of Kurdish fighters is completed under a US-brokered deal.
"If the promises given to our country by the United States are not kept, we will continue our operation from where we left off with greater determination," Erdogan told reporters at an Ankara airport before departing for talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Erdogan warns Syria offensive will resume unless Kurds complete pull out

Japan's Emperor Naruhito completed his ascension to the Chrysanthemum throne on Tuesday in a ceremony steeped in the traditions and grandeur of a monarchy that claims 2,000 years of history.
The rituals cemented a transition that began with his father's abdication earlier this year, and drew royalty and political leaders from around the world.
A public parade for the event was postponed after a deadly typhoon, but the government went ahead with the granting of pardons for more than half a million people convicted of minor offences including traffic violations.
The main event took place in the Imperial Palace's Pine Room, where royal attendants drew back purple curtains hanging from two heavily adorned structures housing the imperial thrones, revealing the emperor and empress standing inside.
"I hereby declare my enthronement at home and abroad," Naruhito said, dressed in a voluminous draped robe topped with a copper overcoat.
Empress Masako, a Harvard-educated former diplomat, stood ..

Japan's emperor completes enthronement in ancient ceremony

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in said Seoul would increase military spending and urged the North to return to dialogue in a budget speech Tuesday that could infuriate Pyongyang with nuclear talks gridlocked.
Contact between North and South Korea stalled after the collapse of a February summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in Hanoi.
Since then Pyongyang has excoriated its neighbour over joint military drills with the US, and the acquisition of American fighter jets.
It is a far cry from the cross-border warmth of last year, when Moon seized on the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics to broker the North-South discussion process and held three summits himself with Kim.
South Korea will increase defence spending by seven percent to more than 50 trillion won (USD 42 billion) next year, Moon told parliament, emphasising that "strong defence" was crucial for "self-determination".
"We will strengthen the core defence system by boosting assets such as ...

South Korea's Moon ups defence spending, urges North to talk

A drone-like flying taxi whirred over Singapore's waterfront Tuesday, with the firm behind the test hoping the aircraft will revolutionise travel in traffic-choked Asian cities.
The 18 propeller vehicle, developed by German firm Volocopter and with a pilot onboard for safety during the test flight, took off from a promontory and flew for about two minutes and 30 seconds around the Marina Bay district.
Heavy rains in the morning almost delayed the flight, but the skies cleared in time for the battery-operated, two-seater taxi to quietly fly past skyscrapers.
While the hover-taxis -- resembling small helicopters but powered by drone-like technology -- are autonomous, there was a pilot inside during the test for safety reasons.
Volocopter has already conducted tests in Dubai, Helsinki, Germany and Las Vegas but the Singapore trial is the company's first in the heart of a city.
The orderly metropolis is likely to be among the first to get the service, with a commercial rollout expected in 

Hover-taxi whizzes over Singapore, firm eyes Asian push

A former Bangladesh cricket chief said Tuesday that match fixing was widespread in the country, deepening a crisis sparked by a strike by top players over wages.
Former Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Saber Hossain Chowdhury, a British-educated lawyer, businessman and now member of parliament, said corruption was deep-rooted at the governing body.
"@BCBtigers is only national sporting body in the world that promotes institutionalised #matchfixing, #corruption," he said on his Twitter account, adding: "Unbelievable!!" "Flagged this issue many times myself," he said.
National captain Shakib Al Hasan raised concerns about corruption in domestic cricket on Monday when announcing that most of the country's professional players had started a strike to press for better pay and benefits.
The stoppage threatens a Bangladesh tour of India next month.
"We all know the sorry state of our first, second and third division cricket," Shakib said.
"A lot of the times we know which team will ..

Corruption claim deepens Bangladesh cricket crisis after strike

A group of tourists sip water at a five-star hotel in Kathmandu, unaware that the green glasses in their hands were once bottles discarded on Mount Everest -- left by climbers eager to make their ascent.
In homes across the Nepali capital upcycled items, from pots to lamps, crafted from Everest waste products are slowly making their way as authorities and businesses look for fresh ways to tackle the damage caused by decades of commercial mountaineering.
Tonnes of trash -- including empty cans and gas canisters, bottles, plastic and discarded climbing gear -- litter the mountain, which has been dubbed the "highest dumpster in the world".
"Waste doesn't need to be wasted," Nabin Bikash Maharjan of local recycling organisation Blue Waste to Value (BW2V) told AFP.
"We received a mix of materials from Everest -- aluminium, glass, plastic, iron -- much of which could be recycled," he explained, adding: "We need to up-cycle and add value to them."
After heavy criticism for the condition of ..

Trash to treasure: Everest garbage given new lease of life

The United States was awarded ownership of a North Korean cargo ship that was seized for violating international sanctions, the US Justice Department said.
The Wise Honest -- the first North Korean vessel to be seized by the US for sanctions violation -- was caught carrying a USD 3 million shipment of coal in Indonesian waters last year and later handed over to the US.
The latest ruling by the Southern District of New York finalises the US government's seizure of the North Korean vessel and ends its use in a "criminal scheme", the Justice Department said in a statement.
"This order of forfeiture sinks the Wise Honest's career as one of North Korea's largest sanctions-busting vessels," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C Demers.
The court ordered the vessel to be forfeited to the US government and for the Treasury Department to "dispose of" it.
Washington filed a civil forfeiture complaint for the ownership of the Wise Honest in May, court documents ...

US wins ownership of seized North Korean vessel

Japan's new Emperor Naruhito on Tuesday completed his ascension to the ancient Chrysanthemum throne in a solemn, ritual-bound ceremony performed before hundreds of dignitaries in the Imperial Palace.
"I hereby declare my enthronement at home and abroad," Naruhito said from inside an elaborately adorned structure housing his throne, with his wife Empress Masako alongside him standing before her own throne.
A powerful typhoon that hit Japan earlier this month, killing dozens, forced the cancellation of a huge parade, but the rest of the day's events went ahead with the pomp and tradition of a dynasty that claims more than 2,000 years of history.
The royal family filed into the palace's Pine Room dressed in heavy robes, with the women sporting sculpted wigs topped with golden headpieces.
Set in the centre of the room were the two structures housing the thrones, draped with purple curtains that were ceremonially opened to reveal the royal couple standing within.
Naruhito wore a outfit ...

Japan emperor completes enthronement in ritual-bound ceremony

Violence broke out in several Bolivian cities Monday after the main opposition candidate rejected presidential election results that seemed set to give victory to long-time incumbent Evo Morales, as international monitors voiced "deep concern."
Rival supporters clashed in the capital La Paz, while in the southern city of Sucre an angry mob set a local electoral authority's headquarters on fire, TV images showed.
Carlos Mesa, who came a close second to Morales in Sunday's polls -- forcing a run-off, according to preliminary results -- denounced revised results released by election authorities as a "fraud." "We are not going to recognize those results that are part of a shameful, consumated fraud, that is putting Bolivian society in a situation of unnecessary tension," said Mesa.
Mesa, a former president of the country between 2001-2005, accused Morales of colluding with the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) to tweak delayed results and avoid a run-off.
The United States condemned the ...

Violence breaks out in Bolivia over vote count

Italian coach Antonio Conte has made his "gentle giant" Romelu Lukaku the focus of Inter Milan's attack this season where the striker has found his scoring touch again after leaving Manchester United.
The Belgian got off the mark in his first league match against Lecce and has since scored five goals in eight Serie A games since departing Old Trafford under a cloud last summer.
The 26-year-old scored a brace last weekend against Sassuolo to keep Inter second in Serie A, one point behind defending champions Juventus, after eight games.
It followed his double as Belgium sealed their Euro 2020 ticket, extending his national all-time record to 51 goals in 83 appearances.
Conte's side host Group F leaders Borussia Dortmund in their third Champions League game on Wednesday having been held 1-1 to Slavia Prague and losing 2-1 to Barcelona, with Lukaku missing the trip to Spain with a thigh injury.
Inter gambled big by investing around 80 million euros (USD 89 million) in Lukaku to restore ...

'Gentle giant' Lukaku thriving at Inter Milan after Man United flop

Chelsea's young guns will test their run of form at one of the homes of youth development on Wednesday as they attempt to stop an Ajax team on course to replicate last season's thrilling Champions League run.
The Blues are on a five-match winning streak in all-competitions after beating Newcastle United 1-0 at the weekend but come up against the Group H leaders in Amsterdam Ajax are averaging over three goals a game at home and abroad and are hungry for European success after semi-final heartache last season.
Fikayo Tomori, Ross Barkley, Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham all started Saturday's win at Stamford Bridge, the first time since 2013 five English players made the London club's starting XI.
They second on three points in Group H after a wobbly opening two games in the Champions League, with a pair of matches coming up against on-fire Ajax that could decide their European destiny.
"These two games against Ajax are really big because they're such a strong team ...

Rising Chelsea stars face acid test against youth kings Ajax

Barcelona will be looking to extend their five-game winning streak when they take on Champions League underdogs Slavia Prague in the teams' first-ever encounter in Prague on Wednesday.
Brushing aside political turmoil around them, Ernesto Valverde's men eased past Eibar 3-0 away on Saturday with goals from Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann.
Their fifth straight competitive win -- including a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan in their last Champions League game -- took them to the top of La Liga a point ahead of Real Madrid.
Last week the two giants agreed to postpone the Clasico, which would have been a showdown for the top league spot, from next Saturday to December because of the protests in Catalonia.
In a much calmer Prague, reigning Czech champions Slavia came back from a goal down to see off minnows Pribram 3-1 on Saturday to secure a six-point lead in the Czech top flight.
With two games played, Barcelona are second in the Champions League Group F with four points ...

Barca seek sixth straight win at spirited Slavia

A huge fire at a construction site sent clouds of acrid black smoke billowing over Auckland on Tuesday, forcing large parts of the downtown area to be cordoned off as firefighters battled the blaze.
The fire broke out on the roof of the SkyCity convention centre site shortly after 1:10pm (0010 GMT) and quickly spread, Fire and Emergency NZ said.
Office workers were warned to stay inside and turn off air conditioning as a thick pall of smoke engulfed the centre of New Zealand's largest city, but there were no reports on injuries.
Unconfirmed reports said the fire was started by a construction worker using a blowtorch on the building, which is one of the venues for the 2021 APEC summit being held in Auckland.

AFP

AFP

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