Tribal and military officials say at least nine Shiite rebels and four armed tribesmen were killed in clashes near Radda, an embattled city in central Yemen.
	The latest violence is part of ongoing confrontations in the surrounding area between local tribes, al-Qaida militants and Shiite rebels known as Houthis.
	Tribal officials said the latest violence began Monday morning when the Houthis advanced, sparking clashes. Fighting continues in the area between Houthi fighters and local tribesmen. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to reporters.
	Some 250 people were killed late last month in fighting between the Houthis, who control parts of Radda, and the Qifa tribe. The Houthis swept down from their northern strongholds and overran Yemen's capital Sanaa in September.

At least 13 killed in central Yemen clashes

PTI Automatic

A federal jury in Detroit has found a Palestinian immigrant guilty of failing to tell immigration authorities about her conviction and imprisonment in a fatal Jerusalem supermarket bombing.
	The jury reached its verdict today in the trial of Rasmieh Yousef Odeh. She was charged with immigration fraud for not revealing an Israeli military court conviction for several bombings in 1969.
	She served 10 years before being released in a prisoner swap with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The 67-year-old Odeh is associate director of Chicago's Arab American Action Network. She says she thought the question in the 2004 citizenship application referred to convictions under US law.
	She also says Israeli authorities tortured her to get a confession. The judge in Detroit barred reference to that at trial.

Palestinian activist guilty in US immigration case

The man accused of masterminding the theft of a 300-year-old, USD 5 million Stradivarius violin that was snatched from a musician in Milwaukee was sentenced today to seven years in prison.
	Salah Salahadyn, 42, once told an acquaintance that such a theft was his dream crime because of the instrument's value and the ease of grabbing it from a musician walking down the street.
	The centuries-old instrument was stolen in January from Frank Almond, a concertmaster at the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, as he walked to his vehicle following a performance. Almond was attacked with a stun gun during the theft.
	The instrument was missing for nine days before police found it, in good condition, in a suitcase at the Milwaukee home of Salahadyn's acquaintances. Police said the homeowner didn't know what was in the luggage stored in his attic.
	Along with the prison term, Judge Dennis Moroney ordered Salahadyn to serve five years of extended supervision. The violin theft wasn't Salahadyn's first ..

US man accused in USD 5 million violin theft gets prison

It was the last round of a recurring argument: M Indira Gandhi's husband wanted her to convert to Islam. A committed Hindu, she refused.
	He threatened divorce. Both started shouting. Neighbors came looking. Suddenly, he snatched their 11-month-old daughter from the arms of an older child, tucked her under one arm and sped off on his motorbike.
	That was more than five years ago. Gandhi hasn't seen her child since, even though a Malaysian civil court awarded her custody.
	Her husband who converted to Islam shortly before taking his daughter away won custody in an Islamic court. Because Gandhi is not a Muslim, she was not even called to appear. Police have been unwilling to enforce the civil court's decision.
	"I am pining to see my daughter. No mother should ever have to endure this pain," said Gandhi, a kindergarten teacher, in her small rented home in Ipoh city in Perak state, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) north of Kuala Lumpur, the capital. "Give us a chance. We are all ...

Malaysia's Sharia law costs non-Muslims their kids

Israeli police say a Palestinian assailant has stabbed three Israelis at a West Bank bus stop and was subsequently shot by a security guard.
	Today's incident occurred shortly after a similar stabbing gravely wounded an Israeli soldier at a Tel Aviv train station. The stabbings are the latest in a wave of violence that has shaken Israel.
	Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed a harsh response to the violence.

Police say 3 Israelis stabbed in West Bank

A driver in Brazil's biggest city has lost control of his car and run over 15 people standing on a sidewalk after leaving a church service.
	Police in Sao Paulo say at least two people are in grave condition after being hit by the speeding car.
	They say they're trying to track down the driver, who fled the scene Sunday night after running over a group of people that included at least seven children.
	Police said today they suspect the driver was under the influence of alcohol and possibly drugs. Substances that appear to be cocaine and marijuana were found in the abandoned car.
	The car that hit the people shows the violence of the crash. Its windshield is smashed, along with the hood and front bumper.

Brazil driver runs over 15 people leaving church

Schoolchildren silently placed flowers next to 298 candles, one for each victim of the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, at a somber Dutch commemoration today of the air disaster that shook the nation nearly four months ago.
	The nationally televised event in Amsterdam highlighted the ongoing grief, disbelief and anger of the families and friends of those killed when the Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was downed July 17 over conflict-hit eastern Ukraine.
	Most of the victims were Dutch, but passengers and crew from 19 different countries died.
	A 13-year-old girl, Gita Wiegel, recalled cuddling her mother at Schiphol before she boarded Flight 17.
	"The idea I would have to miss her for four weeks was terrible," she said. "But this, this is far more terrible. The last SMS I got from her was, 'See you in four weeks, darling. Take good care of yourself.'"
	Another grieving relative, Paul Marckelbach, recited a poem, sobbing as he read the final word: "Why?"
	Other 

Families, friends mourn MH17 victims in Amsterdam

A new study says global warming is likely playing a bigger role than previously thought in dead zones in waterways around the world and it's only going to get worse.
	Dead zones occur in oceans, lakes and rivers when fertilizer runoff clogs waterways with nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorous. That leads to an explosion of microbes that consumes oxygen and leaves the water depleted of oxygen, harming marine life.
	Smithsonian Institution researchers found about two dozen different ways that climate change worsens the oxygen depletion in a study today in the journal Global Change Biology.
	The researchers looked at 476 dead zones worldwide. They used computer models to forecast that those dead zones will increase by about 4 degrees from the 1980s to the end of this century.

Study: Global warming worsening watery dead zones

Israel's prime minister promised a harsh response to an ongoing wave of Arab violence today, following a stabbing attack on a soldier at a crowded train station in Tel Aviv.
	Speaking to members of his Likud Party, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will use all means available to stop weeks of unrest that has shaken east Jerusalem, northern Israel and Tel Aviv.
	He also said that he will pursue new measures, including demolishing the homes of instigators. And in a veiled threat toward Arab demonstrators in Israel and east Jerusalem, he said attackers should consider moving to the West Bank or Gaza Strip.
	"Believe me, we will put no difficulties in your path," he said.
	Netanyahu spoke shortly after the soldier was stabbed by a suspected Palestinian assailant in Tel Aviv. A hospital spokeswoman said the soldier was in grave condition.
	Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the suspect was from the West Bank city of Nablus and was captured immediately after the stabbing.
	"He ..

Israeli leader vows harsh response to Arab unrest

President Barack Obama says Internet providers shouldn't be allowed to cut deals with online services like Netflix, Amazon or YouTube to move their content faster.
	In a statement released by the White House today, the president called for an "explicit ban" on such deals. Obama also said that federal regulators should reclassify the Internet as a public utility under Title II of the 1934 Communications Act.
	Obama's statement puts him in the middle of a debate between industry, which wants little regulation, and the Federal Communications Commission, which is under public pressure to prevent broadband providers from creating so-called Internet "fast lanes.

Obama wants ban on Internet 'fast lane' deals

A small plane that crashed on approach to the island of Grand Bahama killed all 9 people on board, including a prominent Christian minister and his wife, the government of the Bahamas said.
	The Lear 36 Executive Jet had taken off from the Bahamian capital of Nassau and crashed while attempting to land Sunday evening in Freeport, according to a statement from the Ministry of Transport and Aviation.
	Among those killed was Myles Munroe, the founder of Bahamas Faith Ministries, who was traveling to Grand Bahama to attend the 2014 Global Leadership Forum, Prime Minister Perry Christie said.
	"It is utterly impossible to measure the magnitude of Dr Munroe's loss to The Bahamas and to the world," the prime minister said. "He was indisputably one of the most globally recognizable religious figures our nation has ever produced." Munroe's wife, Ruth was also on the plane, Christie said.
	The names of other passengers have not yet been confirmed, but the government said they included another ..

Small plane crash kills 9 in Bahamas, probe begins

Russia's central bank today scrapped daily controls on the value of the ruble, allowing the battered currency to float freely in financial markets earlier than planned.
	The bank said that effective today it will stop setting daily limits for the ruble's fluctuations and will not have any obligation to intervene in financial markets to support the currency, which has lost nearly half its value against the dollar this year.
	To prevent a sharper drop in the ruble, however, the bank said it will be ready to intervene if necessary to fend off "threats to financial stability."
	Central bank chief Elvira Nabiullina said in televised remarks that the regulator will "intervene in the market at any moment in the amount necessary to counter speculative demand."
	The ruble strengthened sharply on the news, trading up 3.6 per cent at around 45 rubles a dollar in midday trading, after hitting a record low of nearly 48 rubles a dollar last week.
	The bank, which had previously planned to let the ..

Russia allows free float of ruble in markets

President Barack Obama is tempering expectations for a thaw in relations between the United States and North Korea, saying the secret talks to free two American prisoners were not the precursor to nuclear negotiations.
	Asked today whether the prisoner negotiations helped him gain any insight into North Korea's mercurial young leader Kim Jong Un and his approach to dealing with the US, Obama said curtly, "No."
	The president's first extensive public comments on the release of Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller came as he opened a three day visit to China, North Korea's chief benefactor.
	US officials said the timing of Obama's decision to pursue their release was not related to his trip, though they wouldn't speculate on Pyongyang's motivations.
	Obama said he dispatched James Clapper, his director of national intelligence, to North Korea for negotiations after receiving "an indication that there was the possibility of the release."
	He did not elaborate on what kind of signals the US ...

Obama tempers expectations for thaw with NKorea

Prosecutors say their application to appeal against Oscar Pistorius' manslaughter conviction and five-year prison sentence will be heard in a South African court on December 9.
	The National Prosecuting Authority also says it has been informed by Pistorius' defense lawyers that they will oppose the appeal.
	The NPA said today it believes there are "reasonable prospects of a successful appeal based on a question of law."
	Prosecutors say Judge Thokozile Masipa may have made an error when she found the double-amputee Olympic runner not guilty of murder for shooting girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a toilet cubicle door in his home. Masipa instead convicted Pistorius of a lesser charge of culpable homicide, or manslaughter.
	His five-year jail sentence means he could be released after 10 months to go under house arrest.

Pistorius appeal hearing set for December 9

A pro-government Syrian newspaper and a monitoring group say that militants opened fire on a bus carrying nuclear scientists and engineers near Damascus, killing at least four men.
	The Watan newspaper said today that the men were heading to work at the Scientific Research Center near the Syrian capital when they were attacked yesterday.
	The newspaper says the four victims were Syrian nationals, and suggested al-Qaida-linked militants were responsible for the attack.
	Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said five nuclear engineers were killed and that one of the men was an Iranian national.
	The Britain-based Observatory closely monitors Syria's fighting through a network of activists on the ground.
	Conflicting reports following such incidences is routine. There was no immediate comment by Syrian officials.

Attack on bus with Syrian nuke scientists kills 4

Putting a bright face on the future of US ties to China, President Barack Obama announced today that the two countries would start granting visas to each other's citizens valid for up to 10 years.
	Yet thorny issues like human rights and trade lurked just under the surface, reflecting the tough road ahead for the two economic powers as Obama began a weeklong trip to the region.
	Obama, addressing Asian business leaders at a high-level summit, sought to dispel the notion that America's interest in Asia should be a cause of concern for China's leaders.
	Beijing has viewed Obama's engagement here with trepidation out of concern the US wants to limit China's rise, but Obama insisted that "one country's prosperity doesn't have to come at the expense of the other."
	"We want China to do well," Obama said. "We compete for business, but we also seek to cooperate on a broad range of challenges and shared opportunities."
	Under the visa agreement, US and Chinese citizens will be able to obtain .

Amid strains, Obama puts bright face on China ties

Iran's state TV is reporting that the country has successfully tested its own version of a US-made drone based on one of it captured in 2011.
	The report quotes General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the aerospace division of the elite Revolutionary Guard, as saying the test was carried out today.
	He said a video of the drone flight will be released soon.
	Iran had displayed the drone earlier this year. Iran has said it managed to reverse-engineer the RQ-170 Sentinel, seized in December 2011 after it entered Iranian airspace from neighboring Afghanistan, and that it's capable of launching its own production line for the unmanned aircraft.

Iran touts successful test of US drone replica

South Korea says it has agreed to sign a free trade deal with China that will remove tariffs on more than 90 per cent of goods over two decades.
	The announcement from South Korea's presidential office today came after South Korean President ParSk Geun-hye met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit being held in Beijing.
	Negotiators held a 14th round of trade talks before Xi and Park met but failed to resolved outstanding issues.
	A statement from South Korea's presidential office said Xi and Park declared that the agreement was now "virtually" reached. Xi said negotiations had made "significant progress."
	The trade deal is expected to give South Korean automakers broader access to consumers in the world's most populous country than their Japanese rivals.
	China will likely boost its exports of agricultural products to South Korea. Two-way trade between China and South Korea was USD 229 billion in 2013.
	The deal covers 22 areas ...

South Korea, China agree to sign free trade deal

A small plane has crashed on approach to the island of Grand Bahama, killing all 9 people on board, the government of the Bahamas said.
	The Lear 36 Executive Jet had taken off from the Bahamian capital of Nassau and crashed while attempting to land around 5 pm local time in Freeport, according to a statement from the Ministry of Transport and Aviation.
	"The Department of Civil Aviation has been advised unofficially that the aircraft was destroyed and that there were no survivors," the ministry said.
	Names of the victims were not immediately available.
	The cause of the crash has not yet been determined though there had been heavy rain across the region.
	Police and fire authorities were on scene and a full investigation would begin at daylight today.
	The crash occurred as people were gathering in Grand Bahama for an annual Christian leadership conference. The Bahamas Tribune newspaper reported that Myles Munroe, a prominent Bahamian minister who organized the event, was among ...

Small plane crashes in Bahamas, killing 9 on board

Eleanor Cunningham of Howes Cave, New York, has bested former President George H W Bush.
	He celebrated his 90th birthday by skydiving; she made the big leap to mark her centennial.
	Cunningham kissed her 7-month-old
great-great-granddaughter before suiting up for her 100th birthday jump Saturday at Saratoga Skydiving in Gansevoort (GANZ'-voort). It was her third jump, after taking up the sport at age 90.
	Cunningham lives with her granddaughter in their Schoharie (skoh-HAYR'-ee) County home in central New York. Her doctor signed off on the skydiving expedition, saying her health makes her more than capable of doing what she loves.
	Dean McDonald of Saratoga Skydiving says Cunningham is his oldest jump partner yet.

US woman celebrates 100th birthday with sky dive

New York's biggest subway hub has opened in lower Manhattan a vital link between the new World Trade Center and the rest of the city.
	The Metropolitan Transportation Authority inaugurated the USD 1.4 billion Fulton Center, a transit complex where many subway lines converge.
	"Welcome to the station of the 21st century," engineer Michael Horodniceanu, president of MTA's Capital Construction who led the work, told a gathering of transit and political officials yesterday.
	Officials said the transit and retail hub will serve as Lower Manhattan's next great public space encased in a glass-and-steel shell with a soaring, light-filled atrium.
	The federal government funded 90 percent and New York state the rest of the project, which includes 180,000 square feet (16,700 square meters) of new retail and office space, plus five old stations that were refurbished and linked. The center will accommodate up to 300,000 daily riders using nine subway lines.
	A 350-foot (105-meter) tunnel was built 

AP

AP

Page 2411 - Ap/pti Reuters