An American who has been a frequent visitor to Nepal has been arrested in the capital's tourist district on charges of sexually abusing children.
	The Central Bureau of Investigations said in a statement today that Kenneth Joseph Coombs and a local man arrested with him were being held for further investigation.
	Five boys were rescued after police raided Coombs's hotel room in Kathmandu over the weekend.
	The raid was initiated after police got information from boys who had been abused there.
	Police said Coombs, 48, was from Illinois and had last entered Nepal on Aug 23.
	Other details were not given because the case involved underage victims.

American man arrested in Nepal on charges of child sex abuse

PTI Automatic

Relatives of some of the 239 passengers and crew on missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 called today for more of its possible debris to be examined to define a new search area.
	Malaysia, China and Australia agreed in July that the search in the southern Indian Ocean would be suspended after the current 120,000-square kilometer expanse has been thoroughly examined with deep sea sonar equipment in the absence of credible new evidence that identified the plane's location.
	Eight relatives of lost passengers who met with Australian officials coordinating the search on behalf of Malaysia expressed frustration that they were not given a definition of what constituted credible new evidence that would result in a continuation of the search.
	American wreckage hunter Blaine Gibson attended the meeting at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau headquarters with the relatives from Malaysia, China, Australia and Indonesia and handed over to investigators five pieces of potential debris that he .

Relatives of MH370 victims want more possible debris studied

China, which is believed to execute more convicted people than the rest of the world combined, said today that it uses the death penalty only on "a very small number of extremely serious criminal offenders."
	In a report published today, China's government says authorities "strictly control the death penalty and employ it with prudence."
	Although China no longer executes people for most nonviolent crimes, its law allows for the death penalty for dozens of offenses, including treason, separatism, spying, arson, murder, rape, robbery and human trafficking.
	A legal revision last year removed a number of offenses from the list of those punishable by death, included smuggling arms and ammunition, counterfeiting currency, forcing others into prostitution and obstructing military personnel in the performance of their duties.
	The number of executions in China is not known because such data is considered a state secret.
	Amnesty International estimates that it executes more people than the .

China says executes 'very small number' of criminals

North Korea is capable of detonating another nuclear device at its main atomic test site any time it chooses, Seoul officials said today, as the United States reportedly planned to send two nuclear-capable supersonic bombers to the South in a show of force against Pyongyang.
	The speculation came three days after the North conducted its fifth atomic bomb explosion. Friday's test was the North's most powerful test to date, and its claim to have used "standardized" warheads has sparked worries it was making headway in its push to develop small and sophisticated warheads to be topped on missiles.
	After the test, the North's nuclear weapons institute said it will take unspecified measures to further boost its nuclear capability, which analysts said hinted at a possible sixth nuclear test.
	South Korea's Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang Gyun said today that South Korea and US intelligence authorities believe North Korea has the ability to detonate another atomic device anytime at one .

Seoul says North Korea capable of next nuclear test anytime

A Vietnamese court today approved a Malaysian request for the extradition of eight Indonesians suspected of hijacking a Malaysian oil tanker more than a year ago, and rejected a similar request from Indonesia, state media reported.
	The online newspaper VnExpress said the People's Court in Hanoi agreed to send the suspects to Malaysia based on laws on mutual legal assistance and criminal procedure. It said the suspects have 15 days to appeal the ruling.
	Court officials were not immediately available for comment.
	The eight were arrested in June last year when they arrived on Tho Chu island off Vietnam's southern coast and admitted that they had hijacked the oil tanker MT Orkim Harmony.
	Vietnamese officials said at the time that the Indonesians, aged 19 to 61, initially said they encountered an accident at sea while fishing, but after questioning with information provided by Malaysian authorities, they confessed that they were responsible for the hijacking.
	The ship was carrying 7.5 

Vietnam to extradite 8 Indonesian suspects to Malaysia

Authorities say a New York City woman attacked two Muslim women who were pushing their young children in strollers and tried to rip off one woman's hijab.
	Court documents say Emirjeta Xhelili approached the women near her Brooklyn home Thursday afternoon, punching one of them in the head as she screamed obscenities and told her to leave America.
	Authorities say Xhelili pushed the woman's stroller toward the ground and later tried to grab the second woman's stroller away from her.
	Xhelili faces charges including assault, menacing and endangering the welfare of a child. The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office has described the incident as a hate crime.
	Xhelili is being held on USD 50,000 bond or USD 25,000 cash bail. Her lawyer tells the New York Daily News Xhelili has no previous arrests.

Authorities: Woman attacks 2 Muslim women pushing strollers

The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen says Saudi air defence forces have shot down a ballistic missile fired at the kingdom from Yemen.
	A statement issued by the coalition says the missile targeted the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait but was intercepted before dawn today. It says the coalition air force struck the missile's launching pad area.
	No damage or casualties were reported.
	The Saudi-led coalition backs Yemen's internationally recognised government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi against the country's Shite rebels known Houthis and their allies, former President Ali Abdullah Saleh's loyalists.
	The rebels, who control Yemen's capital, Sanaa, are known to have seized a stockpile of Soviet-era Scud missiles.

Saudi air defence shoots down missile fired from Yemen

Initial results of Croatia's early elections have shown that the conservatives were leading the vote, but won't be able to rule on their own, paving the way for another coalition government in the European Union's newest member state.
	With more than half of the ballots counted, Croatia's state election authorities said early today that the conservative Croatian Democratic Union, or HDZ, have won 62 seats in the 151-seat parliament, while rival left-leaning People's Coalition won 53. Third-placed are kingmakers Most, or Bridge, with 12 seats.
	Although incomplete, the results are not expected to change dramatically until the full count later today.
	If confirmed, the results will present a major success for the HDZ party, which also led the previous right-wing government that collapsed in June after less than six months in power, triggering the worst political turmoil in the country since it joined the EU in 2013.
	"After such a victory, we are the party that will have a chance to ...

Initial results of Croatia vote show conservatives' lead

Hundreds of gay and lesbian rights supporters marched to Mexico City's Metropolitan Cathedral to support same-sex marriage, one day after thousands marched against it.
	Yesterday's demonstrators carried a banner reading "We are families too" and placards reading "I respect your family, respect mine."
	On Saturday, marches were held in several Mexican cities opposing same-sex marriage. White-clad demonstrators chanted "Children need a father and a mother!" and "Wake up and defend the family."
	In May, President Enrique Pena Nieto proposed legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. It is currently legal only in some places such as Mexico City, the northern state of Coahuila and Quintana Roo state on the Caribbean coast.
	Pena Nieto's party suffered losses in midterm elections in June and has largely sat on the initiative since then.

Mexicans march for gay marriage, day after opponents rally

Macedonian authorities say an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 struck on the outskirts of the capital today, causing minor damage to buildings but no injuries.
	The quake occurred just after 3:00 PM (1300 GMT), seismologist Dragana Cernih from the national seismological observatory told The Associated Press.
	She said she received reports of cracks in the walls of buildings or collapsed chimneys, as well as damage to roofs in villages around Skopje. But she said there was no indication of people being injured.
	The US Geological Survey also gave the quake a preliminary magnitude of 5.3, with its epicenter about four kilometers east-northeast of Skopje, at a depth of 10 kilometers (six miles).
	The Potsdam-based German Research Centre for Geosciences, or GFZ, gave a magnitude of 5. Earthquake experts often give different estimates of magnitude.
	Cernih said at least four strong aftershocks followed the big quake, while a smaller quake was recorded earlier in the day.
	A ..

Magnitude-5.3 quake hits Macedonia; no injuries reported

Turkey's military said today that its warplanes killed 20 Islamic State group fighters in an attack on targets in northern Syria, while Turkey's president renewed a pledge to destroy the group.
	Warplanes had struck three buildings identified as belonging to IS, the Chief of General Staff's office said in a statement.
	A vehicle and motorcycle also were destroyed in the airstrike yesterday evening that came less than two days before a US-Russia agreement on a cease-fire in Syria takes effect.
	In separate airstrike today, Turkish jets struck Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq, killing 13 militants.
	The state-run Anadolu news agency cited a statement from the Chief of General Staff's office saying the militants were killed in three airstrikes that also took out weapons emplacements in Iraq's Qandil mountains and the Bazian and Avasheen regions.
	President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his government's commitment to eliminating IS in Syria and the threat the group poses to ...

Turkish warplanes kill 20 Islamic State group fighters

Christian Siriano was inspired by the casual chic of Capri and earned claps for a few plus-size models who walked his runway, and Banana Republic presented looks for men and women influenced by India as New York Fashion Week continued.
	Five models who were not sample size got a few cheers from the crowd as they walked the beachy, Capri-themed runway of Christian Siriano.
	Siriano's strong statement on size comes after 6-foot Leslie Jones complained in July that no designers wanted to dress her for the "Ghostbusters" premiere.
	Siriano made her a red gown, and he dressed the curvy Uzo Aduba in the same color Friday night at the Toronto Film Festival screening of her "American Pastoral."
	On Thursday, "Project Runway" mentor Tim Gunn wrote a thought-provoking takedown of most top designers for ignoring plus-size women, considering - as he wrote in The Washington Post editorial - that research shows the average woman in the US wears size 16 to 18.
	"I've dressed so many different types .

Siriano sends out plus size, Banana Republic heads to India

An Afghan official says that a police chief has been killed after his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb blast in an eastern province.
	Zabihullah Zemarai, a provincial council member in Nangarhar province, said today that Gen. Zarawer Zahid died from his wounds after his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb.
	The attack took place in the Hasarak district where Zahid was leading an operation against insurgents.
	No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack in Nangarhar, but Taliban insurgents have stepped up their attacks against Afghan security forces and their checkpoints across the country.

Afghan official: Provincial police chief killed in blast

A chemical company says one of its plants has suffered an explosion in northern Chile, killing two workers.
	The Australian company Orica confirmed the explosion in a Sunday statement.
	The explosion occurred yesterday afternoon at its chemical and explosives plant in Antofagasta about 680 miles (1,100 km) north of Santiago and set off a fire that was controlled hours later by area firefighters.
	The cause of the accident is under investigation.

2 dead in explosion at Chile chemical plant

Britain's immigration minister says UK citizens may have to pay for visas to visit European Union nations after the country leaves the bloc.
	Home Secretary Amber Rudd said that would not be desirable, "but we don't rule it out."
	Rudd told the BBC today that Britain would get the best deal it could from the EU, but it would be a "two-way negotiation."
	The EU's Schengen zone which includes most nations in the bloc is considering an electronic travel authorization system similar to one the US uses for visitors from selected countries.
	Visitors from outside the EU would have to apply online and pay a fee before traveling.
	Labour Party immigration spokesman Andy Burnham says Rudd's comments "will not have reassured ordinary families about the cost of Brexit.

UK minister: Britons may need visas to visit EU after Brexit

Even satire has a shelf life. In a presidential campaign with fast-changing headlines that sometimes defy belief, The Onion has managed to maintain its niche by becoming more agile, just like real news organisations.
	The 28-year-old satirical media outlet, famous for creating fake news, has evolved with technology a bit like everyone else, including the news industry it parodies. For the first time, The Onion this summer sent staffers to the Democratic and Republican conventions.
	"Although technology requires media to be much quicker, it also allows us to be a bit faster, and we've started training ourselves and developing ways that we can be a little more reactive, too," said Matt Klinman, The Onion's head writer for video.
	Klinman was part of a team of staffers sent to the conventions in Philadelphia and Cleveland with a goal of mocking the news in something close to real time. Its video team quickly posted full-length clips of high-profile convention speeches on Facebook, ...

The Onion ramps up speed of satire in Campaign 2016

The US marked the 15th anniversary of 9/11 today, with a moment of silence marking the instant when a hijacked plane crashed and revealed that the deadliest terror attack on American soil was underway.
	At ground zero, hundreds of victims' relatives and dignitaries gathered to hear the reading the names of the nearly 3,000 people killed under an overcast sky that shrouded the 1,776-foot-tall top of One World Trade Centre, the centrepiece of the rebuilt site.
	"It doesn't get easier. The grief never goes away. You don't move forward it always stays with you," said Tom Acquaviva, of Wayne, New Jersey, who lost his son Paul Acquaviva.
	President Barack Obama was scheduled to speak at an observance at the Pentagon. Hundreds of people also were expected at a ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
	Nearly 3,000 people died when hijacked planes slammed into the World Trade Centre, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville on September 11, 2001. It was the ..

15th anniversary 9/11 ceremony begins in silence, bell ring

Authorities say two crew members of a river cruise ship have been killed in southern Germany after the vessel struck a rail bridge, crushing the wheelhouse.
	Police said the ship had just cast off early today from the town of Erlangen on its way to the Hungarian capital, Budapest, along the Main-Danube Canal when the accident occurred.
	The dead were a 49-year-old who was at the wheel of the vessel and a 33-year-old sailor.
	Police say the 181 passengers and 47 other crew members on the short-lived voyage were unhurt. They remained aboard the ship for hours until rescue workers could extend a rescue bridge.
	Boat traffic on the canal was halted, but the rail bridge was not seriously damaged.

2 dead after cruise ship hits bridge in southern Germany

Protection efforts in South Africa's biggest wildlife park have reduced rhino poaching there, though poaching syndicates may be moving operations to parks elsewhere in the country, a top official said today.
	The carcasses of 458 poached rhinos were found in Kruger National Park between January and the end of August, down about 18 per cent from the same period last year, said Edna Molewa, South Africa's environmental affairs minister.
	The African News Agency quoted Molewa as saying that poaching groups may be responding to pressure in Kruger park by killing more rhinos in other areas, although rhino poaching nationwide is still down from last year. Areas where rhino poaching has increased include the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and the Northern Cape.
	Poachers killed 36 elephants this year in Kruger park, a worrying development in an area that had been mostly unaffected by the Africa-wide slaughter of elephants. A study released last month reported a big decline in the ...

South Africa reports drop in rhino poaching in biggest park

Samsung Electronics is urging consumers worldwide to stop using Galaxy Note 7 smartphones immediately and exchange them as soon as possible, as more reports of the phones catching fire emerged even after the company's global recall.
	The call from the South Korean company, the world's largest smartphone maker, comes after US authorities urged users to switch the Galaxy Note 7 off and not to use or charge it during a flight.
	Several airlines around the world asked travellers not switch on the jumbo smartphone or put it in checked baggage, with some carriers banning the phone on flights.
	In a statement posted yesterday on its website, Samsung asked users around the world to "immediately" return their existing Galaxy Note 7 and get a replacement.
	"We are asking users to power down their Galaxy Note 7s and exchange them as soon as possible," said Koh Dong-jin, Samsung's mobile president. "We are expediting replacement devices so that they can be provided through the exchange program as 

Samsung urges consumers globally to stop using Galaxy Note 7

Police say between 30 and 40 people have been hurt after a deck collapsed at an off-campus party at a house near Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. No major injuries have been reported.
	Deputy Chief Brian Foley of the Hartford police posted on his Twitter feed that a third-floor deck of a house about two-tenths of a mile from the Trinity campus collapsed onto a second-floor deck, which subsequently fell onto a first-floor deck.
	Foley says the injured have been sent to area hospitals. He says the building was not owned by the college. Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said in a statement that it was lucky there were "no fatalities or no known critical injuries from what could have been a truly tragic incident."
	Trinity College is a liberal arts school in Hartford with about 2,200 students. It's the second-oldest college in Connecticut after Yale.

AP

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