Japan's central government resumed work at a disputed US military base relocation site on Okinawa on Thursday even though residents see the project as an undemocratic imposition on the small southern island.
The Defense Ministry's branch on the island said an early stage of landfill work at Henoko on Okinawa's east coast began Thursday morning.
Construction workers were setting up floats to mark the designated landfill area, making it off-limits to the public, including protesters, said Satoshi Shirakata, a spokesman at the Okinawa Defense Bureau overseeing the Henoko project.
At the centre of contention is a decades-old plan to move a Marine Corps air station from densely populated Futenma in the southern part of the island to less-crowded Henoko on the east coast.
Many Okinawans say the presence of so many US troops on the island is burdensome already and they want the air station moved off the island entirely.
Defense Ministry officials said the resumption of work at Henoko ...

Japan resumes work at disputed site for US base relocation

PTI Automatic

A Mafia hit man who is said to hate "rats" is under suspicion in the slaying of former Boston crime boss and longtime FBI informant James "Whitey" Bulger, who was found dead hours after he was transferred to a West Virginia prison, an ex-investigator briefed on the case said Wednesday.
The former official said that Fotios "Freddy" Geas and at least one other inmate are believed to have been involved in Bulger's killing. The longtime investigator was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Authorities have not disclosed the cause of death.
Among the many unanswered questions after Bulger was found dead on Tuesday: Why was he moved to the prison? And why was a frail 89-year-old like Bulger  a known "snitch"  placed in the general population instead of more protective housing?
Attorney Hank Brennan said Bulger had a hip injury and was in a wheelchair when he was attacked. Brennan represented Bulger during his 2013 trial.
Geas, 51, and his brother were ...

Official: Mafia hit man suspected in Whitey Bulger's slaying

Argentines celebrated the 58th birthday of Diego Maradona on Wednesday by unveiling a bronze statue of the soccer legend that recreates his goal against England that was voted the greatest of the 20th century.
Maradona's birthday was Oct. 30, but the unveiling was postponed a day due to rain. The statue is located near the Argentinos Juniors club stadium in Buenos Aires, where he made his career debut in 1976.
A decade later, Maradona captained Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title and scored two of the most memorable goals in the game's history.
The first was the "Hand of God" goal, in which the tiny Maradona jumped with England goalkeeper Peter Shilton and punched the ball into the net. The sleight of hand gave Argentina a 1-0 lead.
But the real magic came just minutes later when Maradona received the ball in his own half, ran through a pair of England players and sprinted toward the opposing goal.
He then beat two more opponents, fought off another and faked Shilton before shooting 

Argentina's capital unveils its first Maradona statue

Teodoro Petkoff, a giant of Venezuela's politics who led a band of communist guerrillas in his youth before winning the praise of Wall Street in a top government post and then launching a newspaper that fearlessly railed against socialist President Hugo Chavez, died Wednesday.
Xabier Coscojuela, editor of the newspaper Tal Cual, said the paper's founder died after a long illness. Petkoff was 86.
Petkoff was celebrated as a critical thinker who maintained his political independence within an opposition movement weakened by cronyism and infighting. He promoted conservative economic policies, which Latin American leftists considered a betrayal.
"Teodoro Petkoff was a mentor to at least three generations of Venezuelans. I count myself among them," playwright, essayist and former Tal Cual columnist Ibsen Martinez told The Associated Press.
"He instilled in us the idea that democracy and tolerance ... are the essence of social justice." Petkoff's life story reads more like a Hollywood movie 

Venezuelan journalist Petkoff, ex-guerrilla leader, dies

The far-right Proud Boys and their founder, Gavin McInnes, have been banned from Facebook and Instagram because of policies against hate groups.
McInnes called the ban censorship in an email Wednesday.
He said "the left" is "ramping up the hysteria with fake news" ahead of next week's elections.
The Southern Poverty Law Center uses the hate group label for the all-male Proud Boys. But the group identifies as "western chauvinists" and say they "refuse to apologize for creating the modern world."
Several people were arrested after Proud Boys members clashed with anti-fascist protesters in Manhattan on Oct. 12 following a speech by McInnes.
A spokeswoman for Facebook, which also owns Instagram, said in a statement that the company bans content from hate groups "when we become aware of it.

Facebook, Instagram ban far-right Proud Boys and founder

President Donald Trump launched an eight-state campaign blitz on Wednesday, seeking to shore up Senate Republicans and GOP gubernatorial candidates against an onslaught of Democratic surrogates, including entertainment icon Oprah Winfrey.
Trump will crisscross the nation, landing him in Senate battlefields such as Indiana, Missouri and Florida along with nail-biter contests for governor in Georgia and Ohio.
Winfrey, who offered crucial support to President Barack Obama during his 2008 rise, will campaign Thursday for Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who is attempting to become the nation's first black female governor.
Obama plans to campaign Friday for Abrams in Atlanta and in Miami to boost Florida Sen. Bill Nelson and Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum, who is running for governor. On Sunday, the former president will be in Gary, Indiana, for Sen. Joe Donnelly, who is among the most endangered Senate Democrats, and in his hometown of Chicago for J.B. Pritzker, .

Trump, Democrats kick off final midterm campaign blitz

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the number of military troops deployed to the US-Mexican border could go as high as 15,000 as he draws a hard line on immigration in the lead-up to the midterm elections.
With his eyes squarely on next Tuesday's contests, Trump has rushed a series of immigration declarations, promises and actions as he tries to mobilize supporters to retain Republican control of Congress. His own Republican campaign in 2016 concentrated on border fears, and that's his focus in the final week of the midterm fight.
"As far as the caravan is concerned, our military is out," Trump said Wednesday. "We have about 5,800. We'll go up to anywhere between 10,000 and 15,000 military personnel on top of Border Patrol, ICE and everybody else at the border."
Trump rejected the idea he was "fearmongering" or using the issue for political purposes, but his escalating rhetoric in the waning days of the campaign season call into question the denial.
Trump has railed against ...

Trump: Number of troops sent to border could reach 15,000

The UN Security Council has approved a resolution welcoming stepped up efforts to try to restart negotiations to end the 42-year conflict over the mineral-rich Western Sahara between Morocco and the Polisario Front.
Morocco annexed Western Sahara in 1975 and fought the Polisario Front until the UN brokered a cease-fire in 1991.
A peacekeeping mission established to monitor it was also mandated to help prepare a referendum on the territory's future that has never taken place.
Wednesday's vote on the US-sponsored resolution extending the mission's mandate until April 30, 2019, was 12-0 with Russia, Ethiopia and Bolivia abstaining.
Bolivia's UN Ambassador Sasha Llorentty Soliz welcomed an upcoming roundtable of key parties but complained that the resolution neglected the crucial issue of self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.

UN welcomes moves to restart negotiations on Western Sahara

As General Motors reported a healthy $2.5 billion third-quarter profit, the Detroit automaker ramped up its cost-cutting efforts by offering buyouts to 18,000 white-collar workers.
The company, while acknowledging it's in good shape now, said Wednesday it needs to be smaller to prepare for tougher times that might be ahead as it continues to get ready for a future of electric and autonomous vehicles.
"Even with the progress we've made, we are taking proactive steps to get ahead of the curve by accelerating our efforts to address overall business performance," GM said in a statement. "We are doing this while our company and economy are strong." The earnings and buyout news drove GM shares higher in Wednesday afternoon trading. The stock was up 8.6 percent to $36.43, after mostly falling since June.
Buyout offers were made Wednesday to salaried workers in North America with 12 or more years of service. GM spokesman Patrick Morrissey wouldn't say whether the company has a target number ..

GM offers buyouts to 18K workers after posting strong profit

The Trump administration is calling for an urgent halt to the Saudi-Iran proxy war in Yemen and the start of negotiations in November toward a political settlement of a conflict that has pushed millions to the brink of starvation in the Arab world's poorest country.
The renewed push for a political solution in Yemen comes amid growing criticism of US military support for Saudi Arabia's Yemen air campaign and American arms sales to the Saudis, in the aftermath of the killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Turkey.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged a cease-fire, specifically citing missile and drone strikes into Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
The Houthis are supported by Iran. He added the airstrikes by the Arab coalition, backed by the US, "must cease in all populated areas in Yemen."
"The time is now for a cessation of hostilities," Pompeo said in a written statement Tuesday evening shortly after Defense ...

Pompeo and Mattis call for Yemen cease-fire, political talks

President Hassan Rouhani warned Iranians on Wednesday they may face more difficulties in the months ahead, after the United States imposes new sanctions on the country next week, Iran's state TV reported Wednesday.
"The situation was hard for people in the recent months, and it may be hard in the next several months too," said Rouhani, speaking during a televised Cabinet meeting.
"The government will utilize its entire capabilities to alleviate the problems." The US has been re-imposing sanctions on Iran since President Donald Trump withdrew America from the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers in May.
On Monday, the US is imposing sanctions on Iran's oil and gas industry.  According to Rouhani, Washington is trying to make Iranians angry at their government.
"People are in fact angry, but ... they are mad at America and its crimes  not at their government and its ruling system," he said.
Iran is already in the grip of an economic crisis, and has seen sporadic protests in 

Rouhani anticipates difficult months ahead for Iranians

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul as part of a premeditated killing, and his body was dismembered before being disposed of, a top Turkish prosecutor said Wednesday.
A statement from chief Istanbul prosecutor Irfan Fidan's office also said that discussions with Saudi chief prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb have yielded no "concrete results" despite "good-willed efforts" by Turkey to uncover the truth.
The statement is the first public confirmation by a Turkish official that Khashoggi was strangled and dismembered after he entered the Saudi Consulate on Oct. 2 to collect paperwork needed to marry his Turkish fiancee.
The announcement came as Saudi Arabia's chief prosecutor, Saud al-Mojeb, ended a three-day visit to Istanbul during which he held talks with Fidan and other Turkish officials.
Turkey is seeking the extradition of 18 Saudi suspects detained in Saudi Arabia over the killing of Khashoggi. It is also pressing Saudi ...

Turkish prosecutor says Saudi writer strangled, dismembered

After years of delay, including lengthy court battles and passionate protests from those willing to be arrested for blocking construction crews, builders of a giant telescope plan to move forward with constructing the USD 1.4 billion instrument on a Hawaii mountain that is considered sacred.
The state Supreme Court's 4-1 ruling Tuesday is a victory for the contentious Thirty Meter Telescope planned for Hawaii's tallest mountain, Mauna Kea.
Opponents say the telescope will desecrate sacred land on the Big Island.
Supporters say it will bring educational and economic opportunities to the state.
"Astronomy and Native Hawaiian uses on Mauna Kea have co-existed for many years and the TMT Project will not curtail or restrict Native Hawaiian uses," the ruling said. The advanced telescope will answer some of the most fundamental questions of the universe, and Native Hawaiians will also benefit from it, the ruling added.
Associate Justice Michael Wilson dissented but didn't immediately release 

Hawaii Supreme Court upholds permit for giant telescope

A Turkish prosecutor says Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul as part of a premeditated killing, and his body was dismembered and disposed of.
A statement from chief Istanbul prosecutor Irfan Fidan's office also said Wednesday that discussions with Saudi chief prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb have yielded no "concrete results" despite "good-willed efforts" by Turkey to uncover the truth.
The statement is the first public confirmation by a Turkish official that Khashoggi was strangled and dismembered after he entered the Saudi Consulate on October 2 to collect paperwork needed to marry his Turkish fiancee.

Prosecutor: Khashoggi was strangled, dismembered

A fire broke out Wednesday in a building in downtown Tokyo in an area crowded with Halloween celebrants, paralyzing traffic, but no one was reported injured.
The Tokyo Fire Department said the fire started in a commercial building on a backstreet in the Shibuya district of shops and restaurants which was packed with people in costumes for Halloween night.
The fire department said there were no reports of injuries. It said the cause of the fire was being investigated.
NHK public television showed orange flames coming from a duct on top of the six-story building. A few firefighters were raised to the site on a ladder from one of the 16 fire engines sent to the area.
In recent years, Halloween has become highly popular in Japan among children as well as adults. Many shops are decorated with jack-o'-lanterns, bats and ghosts, while restaurants serve pumpkin items.
Shibuya is one center of the celebrations. Its main intersection was jam-packed Wednesday with people dressed as witches, ...

Fire in Tokyo area crowded with Halloween goers; no injuries

British police have charged a drugs company over contaminated food given to premature babies, after deaths were reported.
London police said Wednesday that ITH Pharma would face seven counts of supplying a faulty medicinal product and failing to take adequate steps to prevent patients from becoming infected.
The investigation started after three babies died and 20 more needed treatment after contracting septicemia in 2014.
The infants who died were treated at St. Thomas' Hospital in London and Rosie Maternity Hospital in Cambridge.
The London-based company said in a statement it was "disappointed by the decision to charge the company and will vigorously defend this case."
ITH Pharma said it has "every sympathy for all the families affected regardless of the cause." It also says the company has excellent environmental monitoring in place and works closely with regulators to assure quality and safety.
Its representatives are due in Westminster Magistrates' Court on December 17.

UK police charge drug company after babies die in hospital

Pakistani police say gunmen riding on a motorcycle have shot and killed five workers at a construction site in the country's southwestern Baluchistan province.
Police officer Abdul Hafeez says Wednesday's attack took place in the coastal town of Gwadar. He says two other workers were critically wounded and that the death toll could rise.
The attackers fled the scene and an investigation is underway. No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the drive-by shooting.
Baluch separatist groups have claimed past such attacks on laborers, usually from other parts of the country, working in Baluchistan. Islamic militants also operate in the region.
Baluchistan has been a scene of a low-level insurgency by Baluch separatists who demand a greater share of the province's natural gas and mineral resources.

Pakistan: Gunmen on motorbike kill 5 workers in southwest

Parliamentary committees in Britain and Canada are urging Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify before a joint hearing of international lawmakers examining fake news and the internet.
Damian Collins, the head of the UK parliament's media committee, is joining forces with his Canadian counterpart to pressure Zuckerberg to personally take part in hearings, as he did before the US Congress and the European Parliament.
Describing the November 27 session as being hosted by an "international grand committee," he said Wednesday it was likely that other parliaments would be represented.
Collins and Zimmer told Zuckerberg that they "understand that it is not possible to make yourself available to all parliaments. However, we believe that your users in other countries need a line of accountability to your organization  directly, via yourself.

UK-Canadian 'grand committee' seeks to question Zuckerberg

Israel's envoy to the memorial ceremonies for the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting victims says it's "unfair and wrong" to link the tragedy to President Donald Trump.
Naftali Bennett, the Israeli minister for diaspora affairs, lauded Trump's support for Israel and his denunciation of anti-Semitism, saying: "With President Trump, we never have to worry if he has our backs."
His comments late Tuesday came as Trump paid a visit to Pittsburgh amid accusations that the president's fiery rhetoric had contributed to the climate of violence.
Top elected officials avoided him and one of the families of the 11 victims asked not to meet him.
Israel's envoys to the United States and the Union Nations have also tried to distance Trump from the attack.

Israel defends Trump amid synagogue shooting criticism

Iran's top diplomat is in Pakistan for talks on key issues between the two neighbours, including how to strengthen security along their shared border from where 11 Iranian border guards were abducted earlier this month.
Pakistan's foreign ministry says Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held talks with his counterpart in Islamabad, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, on Wednesday.
The statement says they also discussed the situation in Afghanistan and "ways to work together in the wake of the re-imposition of US sanctions on Iran."
Tehran has asked Islamabad for assistance in finding and rescuing Iranian guards who were seized from a town bordering Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province.
Pakistan has said it will do whatever is possible to trace and rescue them.
Iranian media have blamed the abduction on al-Qaida-linked Jaish al-Adl.

Iran's top diplomat in Pakistan to talk border, key issues

The Austrian government said Wednesday that it won't sign a global compact to promote safe and orderly migration, citing concerns about national sovereignty as it joined neighboring Hungary in shunning the agreement.
Conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz took office last December in a coalition with the nationalist, anti-migration Freedom Party. Austria currently holds the European Union's rotating presidency, and Kurz has made curbing unregulated migration a priority.
The Global Compact for Safety, Orderly and Regular Migration, which isn't legally binding, was finalized under U.N. auspices in July. It is due to be formally approved at a meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, from December 11-12.
The Austria Press Agency reported that Kurz and Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache said Austria won't sign the document or send an official representative to Marrakech.
They cited, among other things, fears about a possible watering-down of the distinction between legal and illegal ...

AP

AP

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