The foundation of America's nuclear arsenal is fractured, and the government has no clear plan to repair it.
	The cracks appear not just in the military forces equipped with nuclear weapons but also in the civilian bureaucracy that controls them, justifies their cost, plans their future and is responsible for explaining a defense policy that says nuclear weapons are at once essential and excessive.
	It's not clear that the government recognizes the full scope of the problem, which has wormed its way to the core of the nuclear weapons business without disturbing bureaucracies fixated on defending their own turf.
	Nor has it aroused the public, which may think nuclear weapons are relics of the past, if it thinks about them at all.
	This is not mainly about the safety of today's weapons, although the Air Force's nuclear missile corps has suffered failures in discipline, training, morale and leadership over the past two years.
	Just last week the Air Force fired nuclear commanders at two .

Foundation of US nuclear system showing cracks

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Recently discovered remains of some of those on board Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 were flown back to the Netherlands today, nearly four months after the passenger jet plunged out of the sky over eastern Ukraine.
	The remains, in five coffins, arrived on board a military transport plane and were carried to waiting hearses in a solemn ceremony at a military air base in the southern city of Eindhoven.
	They were being taken to barracks in Hilversum where a team of experts is working to identify all 298 passengers and crew who were on board the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was downed on July 17. Most of the victims were Dutch.
	So far, 289 of the victims have been positively identified.
	On Monday, the Netherlands is holding a national commemoration service in Amsterdam for the victims. Hundreds of grieving relatives are expected to attend, along with politicians and the Dutch king and queen.
	Dutch investigators probing the exact cause of the crash say it was likely hit .

MH17 victims' remains flown to Netherlands

Germany today celebrates the 25th anniversary of the night the Berlin Wall fell, a pivotal moment in the collapse of communism and the start of the country's emergence as the major power at the heart of Europe.
	A 15-kilometer chain of lighted balloons along the former border will be released into the air early tomorrow evening around the time on November 9, 1989 when a garbled announcement by a senior communist official set off the chain of events that brought down the Cold War's most potent symbol.
	The opening of East Germany's fortified frontier capped months of ferment across eastern and central Europe that had already ushered in Poland's first post-communist prime minister and prompted Hungary to cut open its border fence.
	The hard-line leadership in East Berlin faced mounting pressure from huge protests and an exodus of citizens via other communist countries.
	The collapse of the Wall, which had divided the city for 28 years, was "a point of no return ... From there, things ...

Germany marks 25 years since Berlin Wall's fall

At least seven people are dead in Brazil after a passenger bus was forced off a bridge when another vehicle tried to pass it.
	Highway police in the northeastern state of Bahia say the bus swerved to avoid being hit by a passing van.
	The bus then fell about 65 feet into a river below last night. At least 28 other passengers were injured in the incident.
	The highway police today said they have arrested the driver of the van that allegedly caused the accident, and are trying to determine if the man had been drinking.

7 killed after Brazil bus forced off bridge

Parts of a display of almost a million ceramic poppies that have filled the Tower of London moat to mark the centenary of World War I will be preserved and go on tour, organizers said today.
	The temporary installation, titled "Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red," has generated intense interest, with thousands lining up daily to look since it opened in August. Each of the 888,246 poppies represents a service member from Britain or its empire killed in the Great War.
	Organizers estimate 4 million people will have visited the display by Tuesday, which is Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of World War I on November 11, 1918.
	The poppies are due to be removed starting the next day, and sent to people who have bought them in return for donations to military charities.
	But there have been calls from politicians and members of the public to keep the installation open longer.
	Prime Minister David Cameron visited the site today, saying it had become a "much loved and respected ...

Tower of London poppy display draws huge crowds

Authorities in Iraq say a suicide truck bomb attack killed has eight people, including a senior police officer.
	Police officials said today that the attack happened late yesterday when the suicide attacker drove his bomb-laden truck into the convoy of police Lt Gen Faisal Malik, who was inspecting troops in the town of Beiji.
	Police and hospital officials say the attack killed Faisal and seven police officers, while wounding 15 people. No one immediately claimed the attack, which comes as Iraqi forces backed by US-led airstrikes battle the Islamic State group, which now holds a third of the country.
	All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists.
	Beiji, home to Iraq's largest oil refinery, is 250 kilometers north of Baghdad.

Officials: Suicide attack kills 8 in northern Iraq

Another of the teenagers wounded in a Washington state high school shooting has died, raising to five the number of fatalities after a student opened fire in the cafeteria two weeks ago.
	Andrew Fryberg, 15, died yesterday evening at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, a hospital spokeswoman said.
	Zoe Galasso, 14, was killed during the shooting on Oct 24 by a popular freshman at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. Gia Soriano, also 14, died on Oct 26 at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett and 14-year-old Shaylee Chuckulnaskit died on Oct 31 at the Everett hospital.
	The shooter, Jaylen Fryberg, died of a self-inflicted wound.
	"We express our thanks for the amazing support from the community, as well as from everyone around the world that have been praying for us all through this tragic event," Andrew Fryberg's family said in a statement released by the hospital.
	The family also thanked "all the amazing staff" who cared for the boy in Harborview's pediatric intensive care ..

Teen wounded in Washington school shooting dies

Ukraine has accused Russia of sending dozens of tanks and other heavy weapons into rebel-controlled eastern regions and said five servicemen were killed in clashes with the rebels.
	Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council spokesman Andriy Lysenko said yesterday that at least 32 tanks, 16 artillery systems and 30 trucks loaded with fighters and ammunition had crossed into eastern Ukraine from Russia. He said three mobile radar units loaded on trucks also came over the border from Russia.
	Lysenko provided no specific evidence and it wasn't immediately clear how his agency had obtained the information, since parts of Ukraine's eastern border with Russia have been under rebel control since August.
	Ukraine and the West have continuously accused Moscow of fueling a pro-Russian rebellion in eastern Ukraine with troops and weapons. Russia denies those accusations.
	Russia's Defense Ministry had no immediate comment on Lysenko's statement, but yesterday it rejected Western ...

Ukraine accuses Russia of sending dozens of tanks

Robin Williams' autopsy found no alcohol or illegal drugs were in his body when he killed himself at his Northern California home in August, sheriff's officials has said.
	The results released by the Marin County sheriff's office yesterday found that the actor had taken prescription medications, but in "therapeutic concentrations."
	The coroner ruled Williams' death a suicide that resulted from asphyxia due to hanging.
	Sheriff's officials have said Williams was found in the bedroom of his home in Tiburon on the morning of August 11. His death had been preliminarily ruled a suicide, with sheriff's officials saying he hanged himself with a belt.
	Williams' wife, Susan Schneider, has said the actor and comedian was struggling with depression, anxiety and a recent Parkinson's diagnosis when his personal assistant found him dead.
	Williams had publicly acknowledged periodic struggles with substance abuse, and he had entered a substance abuse program shortly before his death. According to .

Robin Williams' autopsy found no illegal drugs

Dallas calmly marked the end of its Ebola crisis today when the last of the 177 people who were being monitored for symptoms of the deadly virus were to be cleared at midnight.
	Thirty-eight days after Thomas Eric Duncan was diagnosed with Ebola in a local hospital, there were no public celebrations scheduled.
	Instead, local officials expressed relief and resolve that they were prepared if anything similar with its resulting panic, fear and constant media attention ever happened again.
	"It's a time to reflect on the sacrifices of our hometown health care heroes and the city, county, and school district employees that worked so hard, along with our state and federal partners, to keep us safe during the Ebola crisis," Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a statement, calling it an early Thanksgiving for the city.
	Monitoring for the last person who came in contact with Duncan or the two nurses who contracted the virus will end at midnight today.
	About 50 people who returned to ...

Dallas reaches end of Ebola monitoring period

Congressional officials say they're expecting a more than USD 5 billion administration request to pay for munitions and other military requirements to combat Islamic State militants who have seized control of large swaths of Iraq and Syria.
	The USD 5.6 billion request was expected to be a top item on the agenda of today's meeting between President Barack Obama and congressional leaders. Official details are expected to be delivered to Congress next week.
	The funding comes on top of an earlier USD 58.6 billion request to cover overseas military operations to fight terror. It's expected to be addressed in the upcoming post-election session of Congress.
	The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the request is not yet official.

Obama seeks USD 5.6B to fight Islamic State rebels

President Barack Obama is authorizing the US military to deploy up to 1,500 more troops to Iraq as part of the mission to combat the Islamic State group.
	Obama is also asking Congress for more than USD 5 billion to help fund the fight.
	The White House says the troops won't serve in a combat role, but will train, advise and assist Iraqi military and Kurdish forces fighting IS.
	White House press secretary Josh Earnest says Obama has also authorized the additional personnel to operate at Iraqi military facilities outside Baghdad and Erbil.
	Until now, US troops have been operating a joint operation center setup with Iraqi forces there. The announcement is part of a USD 5.6 billion funding request to Congress and came just after Obama met with congressional leaders today.

Obama authorizes 1,500 more troops for Iraq

JPMorgan, the nation's largest bank by assets, plans to cut 3,000 more jobs this year than previously planned in its card and mortgage business units.
	The bank said in February that it was planning to eliminate about 2,000 jobs this year in its card, merchant services and auto unit, but now says that it will have cut a total of 4,000 jobs in the unit by the end of 2014.
	JPMorgan will also eliminate more jobs in its mortgage unit, reducing up to 7,000 positions in that part of the bank, compared with an earlier target of 6,000.
	The New York bank employs about 251,000 employees worldwide, according to FactSet.
	The figures were disclosed in a presentation made yesterday by Gordon Smith, CEO of Chase Consumer & Community Banking. He was speaking at the BancAnalysts Association of Boston Conference in Boston.
	JPMorgan Chase and Co, which reported net income of USD 5.6 billion in the third quarter, is seeking to cut expenses at its consumer banking unit by USD 2 billion between ...

JPMorgan plans cut 3,000 more jobs this year

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Barack Obama may hold informal discussions when they travel to the Asia-Pacific region next week for international summits, officials said today.
	The two leaders last met in June, when they exchanged a few words during a ceremony in France marking the D-Day invasion anniversary. With Russia-West ties at their lowest point since the Cold War, amid the dispute over Ukraine, the strain in their personal relations was clearly visible. Next week, Obama and Putin will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing, then the G20 summit in Australia.
	Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said Friday that no meeting has been set but that Putin and Obama have "a good chance" to meet on the sidelines. Ushakov emphasized that Putin wasn't shunning such a meeting. In Washington, White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice said that while there were no plans for a formal meeting between Obama and Putin, "I wouldn't be at 

Putin and Obama may hold informal talk next week

The FBI is resisting turning over thousands of classified phone intercepts to a Florida man who is suing the US government for malicious prosecution in a case in which the Justice Department dropped charges that he provided support to the Pakistani Taliban terror group.
	The FBI contends in court documents it would take about two years to declassify and translate up to 40,000 calls most are in the Pashto and Urdu languages before they could be provided to Irfan Khan's attorney for the lawsuit.
	The attorney, Michael Hanna, wants access to the calls to determine if any contain material that could bolster his legal case by potentially showing the government had compelling evidence that Khan was innocent.
	A November 25 hearing is set before a Miami federal judge on the issue.
	Khan, a 41-year-old naturalized US citizen from Pakistan, claims in his lawsuit that he was unfairly arrested on flimsy evidence in 2011 in an FBI probe into his Muslim imam father's support for the Taliban.
	The .

Secret FBI calls issue in man's suit against US

A Saudi official says the kingdom's advisory council has recommended to the government for the first time the partial lifting of the ban on women driving, but with conditions: Only women over 30, only during the day, and no makeup allowed while driving.
	The official told the Associated Press today that the Shura Council made the recommendations during a secret, closed session in the past month.
	The council, which is appointed by the king, advises the government but its recommendations are not mandatory. The official, a member of the council, spoke on condition of anonymity because the recommendations had not been made public.
	The driving ban, unique in the world, is imposed because the kingdom's ultraconservative Muslim clerics say "licentiousness" will spread if women drive.

Saudi council urges easing ban on women driving

Gov Nikki Haley is leading South Carolina's first trade trip to India in hopes of persuading companies in her parents' native country to bring jobs to South Carolina.
	The newly re-elected Republican governor leaves Tuesday for a 10-day mission trip involving the state's commerce and tourism agencies.
	It marks Haley's first visit to India since she was 2 years old. Her parents emigrated from India in the 1960s, before Haley was born in rural South Carolina.
	Commerce Director Bobby Hitt says there's a lot of excitement about Haley's arrival, and her stature in India should help open doors.
	Haley is the first woman of Indian heritage to become governor of a US state.
	She is slated to attend more than 40 of the delegation's 90 scheduled meetings and events.

Haley travelling to India to lure jobs

The Republican candidate for the Senate in Virginia conceded defeat today, ending a longshot bid that almost turned into a shocking upset.
	The race was one of three still undecided after Tuesday's vote in which Republicans seized control of the Senate and expanded their majority in the House of Representatives in what was widely seen as a backlash against President Barack Obama.
	Virginia was a sign of the magnitude of the Republican wave. Incumbent Mark Warner, a popular centrist, was considered a sure-thing for re-election. But his Republican rival, Ed Gillespie, came within a percentage point of winning.
	Gillespie conceded to Warner, saying he would not seek a recount even though he was entitled to one. "The votes just aren't there," Gillespie told his supporters, adding that he called Warner earlier in the day to congratulate him.
	Warner's victory gives Democrats 46 seats to Republicans' 52, with two races undecided. Votes are still being tallied in Alaska and Louisiana is ...

Republican concedes US Senate race

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will attend the UN summit with 10 Southeast Asian nations in Myanmar next week and then travel to Australia to participate in the summit of the world's 20 largest economies.
	UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said today the UN chief's first stop will be Myanmar's capital Naypyitaw to attend the November 12 summit with leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
	Ban will also hold separate talks with Myanmar's President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi that are certain to broach the opposition leader being banned from running for president in next year's elections and the plight of some 1.3 million Rohingya Muslims.
	The secretary-general will then travel to Brisbane to attend sessions at the Group of 20 summit on Nov. 15-16, Dujarric said.

UN chief to attend Southeast Asian and G20 summits

A judge today approved Detroit's plan to get out of bankruptcy, ending the largest public filing in US history and launching the city into a turnaround that will require discipline after years of corruption, budget-busting debt and an exodus of residents.
	Judge Steven Rhodes announced his decision from the bench.
	"The court confirms the plan," Rhodes said.
	Detroit is cutting the pensions of general retirees by 4.5 per cent, erasing USD 7 billion of debt and promising to spend USD 1.7 billion to demolish scores of dead buildings, improve public safety and upgrade basic services, among other key steps.
	The case concluded in just under 16 months, lightning speed by bankruptcy standards.
	The success was largely due to a series of deals between Detroit and major creditors, especially retirees who agreed to accept smaller pension checks after the judge said they had no protection under the Michigan Constitution.
	No significant critics were left by early October. Bond insurers with ...

Judge approves bankruptcy exit plan for Detroit

Thousands of supporters of Yemen's ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh and Shiite rebels who have overrun the country's capital rallied in Sanaa today, denouncing the United States over its push for sanctions against Saleh and rebel leaders.
	The US is seeking United Nations sanctions against the former president and two leaders of the Houthi rebels, accusing them for acting as "spoilers" causing Yemen's latest unrest. All 15 Security Council members must approve sanctions for them to take effect.
	Saleh stepped down in 2011 as part of a US-backed, Gulf-brokered deal after months of protests against his rule.
	But backers of his successor, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, accuse him of undermining Hadi. Many believe Saleh helped Houthi rebels the past months has they swept into the capital, Sanaa.
	Saleh has remained a powerful political player, with his party still holding many positions in government and the security forces.
	The protesters in Sanaa in much smaller numbers than usual today .

AP

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