England have summoned another fast  bowler for their Ashes tour of Australia after Jake Ball  suffered an ankle strain which places him in doubt for the  first Test, starting in less than two weeks.
Sussex seamer George Garton will join the tourists in  Australia after scans showed Ball strained a ligament while  bowling in the warm-up match against a Cricket Australia XI in  Adelaide.
In a statement, England said medical staff "will assess  the injury over the next seven days and (Ball) will play no  further part in the Adelaide match."
Ball is also unlikely to play in England's next practice  match, casting doubt on his availability for the opening Test,  starting in Brisbane on Nov. 23.
Garton is the second fast bowler to be called up by  England after Tom Curran replaced Steve Finn, who returned  home with a knee injury.

England call replacement after paceman Ball injured

PTI Automatic

The Paris prosecutor's office says  preliminary terrorism charges have been handed to eight  suspects in a French-Swiss counterterrorism sweep earlier this  week.
A judicial official, who spoke Saturday on condition of  anonymity as he was not allowed to comment publicly on the  arrests, said the eight were charged for association with a  terrorist network. Seven are in custody and one is under  judicial supervision.
Ten people suspected of using encrypted social networks  to prepare a possible attack were arrested Tuesday during  operations in France and Switzerland aimed at clarifying  details of an alleged plot.
The suspects are being questioned following searches of  properties in the Paris suburbs and in southeastern France.  Officials say some of the suspects previously had been flagged  for alleged Islamic radicalisation.

France charges 8 suspects after counterterrorism sweep

The United States and France have  expressed their support for Lebanon's sovereignty and  stability amid heightening tensions between Beirut and Saudi  Arabia.
A political crisis has gripped Lebanon and shattered the  relative peace maintained by its coalition government since  Prime Minister Saad Hariri's stunning announcement November 4  from the Saudi capital that he was resigning.
Lebanese officials have insisted on the return home of  Hariri from Saudi Arabia amid rumors he is being held against  his will.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said  in a statement today that Washington calls upon "all states  and parties to respect Lebanon's sovereignty, independence,  and constitutional processes."
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported  Saturday that French President Emmanuel Macron called his  Lebanese counterpart expressing France's commitment to  Lebanon's "unity, sovereignty and independence.

US and France express strong support to Lebanon amid crisis

The United States military said  today it has carried out a new drone strike against the al-  Shabab extremist group in Somalia, killing "several"  militants.
A statement by the US Africa Command said the strike was  carried out yesterday night in Lower Shabelle region, about 32  kilometers north of the capital, Mogadishu. It came a day  after another strike in the Bay Region, about 100 miles west  of Mogadishu.
Yesterday's airstrike was the 23rd the US military has  carried out this year against the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab  and the far smaller Islamic State group in Somalia. The Trump  administration earlier this year approved expanded military  operations against extremists in the Horn of Africa nation.
The latest US drone strike was carried out in  coordination with Somalia's government, the US statement said.  Al-Shabab, the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa,  has been blamed for the massive truck bombing in Mogadishu  last month that killed more than 350 people.
It ...

US drone strike in Somalia against al-Shabab kills 'several'

President Donald Trump said today that  Russia's Vladimir Putin again denied interfering in the 2016  US elections. But Trump declined to say whether he believed  the Russian leader.
"He says he didn't meddle. I asked him again. You can  only ask so many times," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force  One on the trip to Hanoi, Vietnam. "Every time he sees me, he  said: 'I didn't do that.' And I believe, I really believe that  when he tells me that he means it."
Trump and Putin did not have a formal meeting while they  were in Vietnam for an economic summit, but the two spoke  informally several times and reached agreement on a number of  principles for the future of war-torn Syria.
But Trump made clear that the issue of Russian meddling  in the election hovers over the leaders' relationship, Putin  is "insulted" by the accusation, Trump said.
In a blistering partisan attack, Trump accused Democrats  of using the election issue to create a barrier between the US  and Russia as the ...

Trump: Putin again denies meddling in 2016 election

A group of US states, cities,  businesses and universities say they are still committed to  curbing global warming even as the Trump administration is  walking away from the Paris climate accord.
But the alliance, which together has an economy larger  than Japan and Germany combined, says it won't be able to  achieve the necessary cut in emissions of greenhouse gases  without some efforts at the federal level.
Speaking at a global climate meeting in Bonn, former New  York City mayor Michael Bloomberg said today that "US  citizens, states and businesses remain committed to the Paris  agreement."
The group calling itself 'America's Pledge' said states,  cities and private groups have been taking considerable steps  to reduce emissions by promoting renewable energy and  climate-friendly transportation systems.

US cities, states, businesses still back Paris climate deal

New Zealand's new government is  moving quickly to fulfill a campaign promise by banning  foreign investors from buying homes.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today that she  expects to introduce new laws within weeks that would take  effect early next year. She said the government is determined  to make it easier for New Zealanders to buy homes and to stop  foreigners from driving up prices.
She said the ban would not affect most existing free-  trade agreements and would be enacted before the proposed  Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free-trade deal that 11 nations,  including Japan and Australia, are considering signing.
Under the proposed legislation, Australians and  foreigners who are New Zealand citizens or residents would be  exempt. Foreigners could also continue to buy residential land  to build new homes.

New Zealand moves to ban foreigners from buying homes

South Korea and China will push to  normalize their ties badly strained over the deployment of a  contentious US missile defence system in the South, both  countries announced today, with Seoul saying their leaders are  set to hold summit talks next week.
South Korea allowed the United States to install the  Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence system on its soil this  year, triggering angry rhetoric and economic retaliation from  China which views THAAD's powerful radar as a threat to its  own security. South Korea and the United States have  repeatedly said the system is only aimed at defending against  North Korea's advancing nuclear threats, rather than peering  into Chinese territory.
Today, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said there was recently  diplomatic communication between the two countries, during  which they agreed to put bilateral exchange and cooperation  back on a normal track soon and boost cooperation for a  peaceful, diplomatic resolution of the North Korean nuclear  ...

SKorea, China move to resolve disputes and hold summit talks

Police say one person is dead  after a shooting near the University of Utah campus at Red  Butte Canyon.
The Deseret News reports that the university sent an  alert at 9 p.m. to students and staff to shelter in place.  People on campus remained on lockdown hours later.
Salt Lake City police posted on Twitter officers are  searching for 24-year-old Austin Boutain, who is suspected in  the shooting.
At least eight law enforcement agencies are on scene,  including the FBI. A helicopter was assisting the search.
Salt Lake City Police Sgt. Brandon Shearer said officers  weren't immediately releasing the victim's gender or other  details.
Utah Transit Authority says there will be limited light  rail service and that buses won't service the campus for the  reminder of the night.

Police: 1 dead after shooting near University of Utah

President Donald Trump dressed up  as himself, complete with his trademark red tie, for his first  Halloween in the White House.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump greeted some of the  6,000 children and adults who were invited for trick-or-  treating at the White House on Halloween eve.
Children from more than 20 schools in the District of  Columbia, Maryland and Virginia attended the festivities on  the South Lawn, along with military families and members of  unspecified community organisations.
Spooky music played over loudspeakers. Machines cranked  out fog. Pumpkins carved with the likenesses of past  presidents decorated the south entrance of the White House.
Black spiders hung from webs spun between the portico's  columns. A sign over an awning proclaimed "Halloween at the  White House 2017."
Trump and the first lady, who wore a calf-length coat in  the crisp air, welcomed dinosaurs, athletes, police officers,  skeletons and more. Trick-or-treaters took home individual  gift ...

Trump, first lady welcome ghosts, goblins on Halloween eve

The FBI has said that all its  previously withheld files on the John F Kennedy assassination  have been authorised for release with limited redactions to  protect the identities of individuals who helped investigators  probing his death.
By law, all government documents related to the  assassination were to be released on Thursday. But just before  the release, President Donald Trump said he had "no choice"  but to agree to requests from the CIA, FBI and other agencies  to continue withholding some documents to protect national  security and individual identities.
Later that night, the National Archives did put a hefty  cache online. It plans to release all remaining records in the  coming weeks.
"The limited redactions relate to individuals who  provided information during the course of the investigation,  and whose lives may be at risk if they are publicly  identified," FBI spokeswoman Susan McKee said.
"Every effort is being made to lift the remaining  redactions going forward as ..

FBI: JFK files authorised for release with some redactions

In an unexpected and  emotional statement, Army Sgt Bowe Bergdahl apologised in  court to all the military personnel who were wounded searching  for him and described the daily nightmares and flashbacks to  his five years in captivity of Taliban allies he still  endures.
Bergdahl was the first witness in what's expected to be a  multi-day presentation by the defense to the judge who will  decide his punishment for endangering comrades by walking off  his post in Afghanistan in 2009. He spoke for two hours,  giving a wide-ranging description of his brutal years in  captivity and what challenges he still faces with daily life.
"I would like everyone who searched for me to know it was  never my intention for anyone to be hurt, and I never expected  that to happen," he said, choking up at times. "My words alone  can't take away their pain."
Bergdahl faces a maximum of life in prison after pleading  guilty to desertion and misbehaviour before the enemy.
His appearance on the witness stand, 

On stand, Bergdahl apologises to those hurt looking for him

Senior US national security  officials told Congress a new war authorisation is "not  legally required" to conduct combat operations against  terrorist groups and warned lawmakers that prematurely  repealing current law could signal the US is "backing away  from this fight."
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary  Jim Mattis testified before the Senate Foreign Relations  Committee three months after they informed the panel a post-  September 11, 2001 law gave the military ample authority to  fight terrorist groups and a new one was unnecessary. A  separate authorisation for the war in Iraq approved by  Congress in 2002 also remains in force.
In testimony, they said if Congress does pursue a new  authorisation for foes such as the Islamic State, it's  imperative that the existing law not be rescinded until the  new one is fully in place. Tillerson and Mattis also said that  any new war authorisation, like the existing one, should not  have any geographic or time ...

Tillerson, Mattis tell senators new war authority not needed

Samsung Electronics Co reported  another record high in quarterly earnings today as its  semiconductor division posted its highest profit ever.
The company also announced a monstrous capital investment  plan to increase chip production and higher shareholder  dividends as the world's largest chipmaker basks in an  unprecedented boom in the memory chip industry that helped it  overcome a crisis in its leadership.
The South Korean company's July-September net income  surged 150 percent to 11 trillion won (USD 9.8 billion),  compared with 4.4 trillion won a year earlier.
The result beats analysts' consensus of 10.9 trillion  won, according to financial data provider FactSet.
Sales rose 30 percent to 62 trillion won (USD 55.1  billion) while operating profit nearly tripled from the  previous year to 14.5 trillion won (USD 12.9 billion), in line  with its preview.
Samsung, the world's largest maker of smartphones, has  continued its record-breaking earnings streak thanks to a  global boom .

Samsung Electronics logs record-high profit on memory chips

More than 13 million people  inside Syria still need humanitarian assistance and nearly  half are in "acute need" as a result of having fled their  homes, of hostilities, and of limited access to food, health  care and other basic needs, the UN humanitarian chief has  said.
Mark Lowcock told the Security Council the number of  Syrians who have been displaced within the country for a long  time has dropped from 6.3 million to 6.1 million. But he said  "levels of new displacement remain high," with 1.8 million  people reportedly forced to leave between January and  September.
Since just the offensive began in November 2016 that  ousted the Islamic State extremist group from the city of  Raqqa, its self-proclaimed capital, airstrikes and clashes  resulted in over 436,000 people being displaced to 60  different locations, Lowcock said, speaking via video  conference from Amman, Jordan.
In the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, he said, heavy  fighting and airstrikes continue to cause ...

UN official: Over 13 million people inside Syria need aid

US special operations forces have  captured a militant who was instrumental in the 2012 attack on  a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, officials said  today.
The attack resulted in the death of the US ambassador to  the country and three other Americans. The Obama  administration's handling of the deadly assault became a  lightning rod for Republican criticism of Hillary Clinton, who  was secretary of state at the time, through her presidential  campaign.
The commandos captured the man in Libya just before  midnight local time yesterday and are transporting him back to  the US, the officials said. The suspect is expected to arrive  within the next two days, according to one of the officials.  The officials said the mission was approved by President  Donald Trump and done in coordination with Libya's  internationally recognized government.
The officials, who weren't authorized to speak publicly  to the matter and demanded anonymity, did not identify the  suspect and would not .

Officials: US captures militant key in Benghazi attack

Australia's prime minister is in  Israel for a re-enactment of a WWI battle where Australian and  New Zealand troops triumphed over Ottoman forces in a charge  that helped turn the tide of the war and shape the modern  Middle East.
Malcolm Turnbull met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin  Netanyahu at a ceremony today ahead of the memorial.
Foreign press photographers walked out of the event in  protest after security guards demanded a chief photographer of  the European Press Agency take his pants off for inspection.
It was the latest in a series of incidents where guards  ordered journalists strip for searches at media events with  Netanyahu.
The Foreign Press Association, which represents  journalists covering Israel and the Palestinian territories  for international news organizations, has called the strip  searches humiliating.

Australian PM in Israel for WW1 battle centennial

Egyptian airport officials say an  American woman has shipped 14 stray dogs and a street cat to  New York via national carrier EgyptAir, the latest episode in  a growing trend of airlifting pets out of the Arab world's  most populous nation.
They say the woman paid 60,000 Egyptian pounds (USD  3,400) for the operation to rescue the animals Sunday from the  mean streets of Cairo, where down-and-out cats and dogs  survive day-to-day on handouts and by picking through the  capital's notorious garbage piles.
Dogs in particular face attacks and poisonings.
A photo circulated by airport staff showed dog cages  stacked at the departure terminal.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity  because they weren't authorised to brief reporters, did not  name the woman, who works at animal welfare associations.

US woman airlifts 14 stray dogs, 1 street cat out of Egypt

Russian President Vladimir Putin has  strongly denounced Soviet-era political repressions.
Speaking today at the opening of a memorial to the  victims of purges, Putin said "political repressions have  become a tragedy for our people" and dealt a blow to the  nation, the consequences of which are still felt today.
Putin said "millions of people were declared enemies of  the people on absurd charges, executed, mutilated and went  through the suffering in prisons and labor camps."
He emphasised that there could be no justification for  the repressions, adding that "our duty is not to allow  oblivion."
The statement marks the strongest condemnation yet of  Soviet-era repressions from Putin, who has taken a cautious  line on the nation's Soviet-era history, trying to focus on  its achievements rather than on Communist crimes.

Russia's Putin condemns Soviet-era political repressions

Pennsylvania State Police say a 10-  year-old boy accidentally shot his 11-year-old brother in the  leg after the two thought they heard an intruder.
State police tell the Butler Eagle the two were home  alone yesterday afternoon when they thought they heard a noise  in the basement.
They say the boys retrieved a gun in one room and loaded  it with ammunition they found in another room. At some point,  it went off.
The 11-year-old was struck in the lower left leg and was  taken to a hospital. Police say no bones were broken and he  was to have surgery to remove any bullet fragments.  Police say the investigation is continuing. No charges have  been filed.
Trooper Jessica Clouse says it should serve as a lesson  to gun-owners to always secure weapons at home.

Police: Boy accidentally shoots 11-year-old brother in leg

A Lithuanian court has  sentenced a 67-year-old man to house arrest for publicly  praising Soviet dictator Josef Stalin and the crimes of the  Soviet Union against the Baltic nation.
The Vilnius District Court today ordered Yuri Subotin to  remain home between 10 pm and 5 am daily for 14 months after  being found guilty of breaking a law that criminalizes public  support for crimes committed by the Soviet regime against  Lithuania.
The court found that Subotin, a Lithuanian citizen of  Russian origin, had posted several offensive online comments  including one praising the deportations of Lithuanians into  Siberia during the Soviet occupation of nearly 50 years.
Subotin pleaded not guilty and plans to appeal the  verdict.
Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940-41 and  from 1944 until independence in 1991.

AP

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