The UN's World Food Program on Saturday delivered emergency food rations to 265,000 people, many of them quarantined in Sierra Leone, to help fight the spread of Ebola.
	Food supplies are being distributed in the Waterloo district on the outskirts of Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, WFP's Alexis Masciarelli told the Associated Press.
	Waterloo, about 20 miles east of Freetown, has seen some of the highest cases of Ebola infections and the deliveries are to help quarantined families by providing them enough to eat so they do not leave their homes to look for food.
	The deliveries began Friday and are continuing Saturday, said Masciarelli.
	Waterloo resident Christopher James said he got food for his family at one of the 60 distribution sites.
	"Ever since the Ebola outbreak in our area, our kids were not having proper meals in a day," said James. "We've have food constraints for the past two months and this will help us to continue to live through this Ebola crisis in our ...

Food deliveries in Sierra Leone to fight Ebola

PTI Automatic

Yemen's empowered Shiite rebels attacked the home of a rival Islamist politician south of the capital on Saturday, setting off clashes that left 12 people dead, security officials said, adding that the politician was not home at the time.
	The officials said Shiite rebels and allied fighters attacked the home of a local politician from the rival Islamist Islah party, killing two of his relatives in the town of Yarim, an Islamist stronghold in the Ibb province south of Sanaa. The ensuing clashes left eight rebel fighters and two bystanders dead.
	Another four rebels were killed when a roadside bomb struck a convoy bringing reinforcements to a battle with Sunni conservative tribesmen raging in both Yarim and the provincial capital, also called Ibb.
	The Houthis had advanced on Ibb city on Friday, setting of fierce clashes. A brief cease-fire collapsed.
	Following the unrest, the security chief of Ibb resigned in response to a demand by the Houthis. On Saturday, the local governor asked .

Yemen's rebels attack home of Islamist, 12 killed

A Czech zoo says a 34-year-old northern white rhinoceros has died in Kenya, further reducing the world's dwindling population of the critically endangered animal.
	Suni was born at the zoo in Dvur Kralove in June 1980. The zoo says Suni was found dead Friday in the Ol Pejeta animal sanctuary. The cause of death wasn't immediately clear, but the zoo ruled out he was killed by poachers.
	He was one of the four northern white rhinos that the Czech zoo moved to Africa in December 2009 in an attempt to save the species from extinction. The zoo hoped it could be easier for them to breed there than in captivity.
	The zoo said today that Suni was one of seven northern white rhinos left.

Endangered northern white rhino dies in Africa

The families of two British hostages killed by the Islamic State group urged people of all faiths to unite against the militants' "hateful acts," as hundreds celebrated the life of slain aid worker David Haines at a memorial service in his Scottish hometown.
	His brother Michael Haines walked hand-in-hand to Perth Congregational Church today with Barbara Henning, whose husband Alan was killed by the militants in Syria earlier this month.
	Mourners were told to wear bright colors, rather than black, in celebration of Haines' life.
	In a letter published in the Guardian newspaper, Barbara Henning and Michael Haines urged people of all backgrounds "to find a single act of unity one simple gesture, one act, one moment that draws people together."
	They said that "we will not allow the actions of a few people to undermine the unity of people of all faiths in our society. ... Together we have the power to defeat the most hateful acts."
	David Haines, a 44-year old former air force engineer, 

Families of slain UK aid workers call for unity

The US and China are pledging to overcome mistrust, manage their differences and cooperate on key issues like combatting terrorism and the spread of the Ebola virus ahead of President Barack Obama's upcoming trip to the Chinese capital.
	Meeting in Boston today, Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi (yahng jay-uh-CHUR') said the relationship between the two countries is mature enough to discuss disagreements while building on areas of shared interest.
	Washington and Beijing have recently clashed over matters including territorial disputes between China and its neighbors in the South China Sea and pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
	Kerry is hosting Yang in his hometown for two days of discussions as Obama prepares to travel to Beijing for a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in November.

US, China vow to manage rifts ahead of Obama visit

A Russian rights group says an activist who investigated the deaths and disappearances of Russian soldiers in Ukraine has been jailed.
	Ten Russian troops were captured in August in eastern Ukraine amid fighting between pro-Moscow separatists and Ukrainian troops after weeks of Moscow denying involvement in the Ukrainian conflict.
	Activists have collected data about dozens of Russian servicemen who were killed in recent months.
	Authorities insisted that the captured soldiers got lost while patrolling the border while the deaths were accidental and happened in Russia.
	The Soldiers' Mothers of St Petersburg said today that its colleague in southern Russia who was investigating the deaths and disappearances was detained today.
	The group said the 73-year-old Lyudmila Bogatenkova was charged with fraud and ordered to be jailed.

Soldiers' rights activist jailed in Russia

Syrian activists say that government airstrikes on a rebel-held town have killed at least 16 people.
	Local activist Hassan Taqulden and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said today that at least five air raids targeted buildings in the city of Douma. They said the bombings occurred yesterday evening.
	Taqulden said most of those killed were civilians. The Observatory said at least three children and one woman were killed. Both said the death toll was likely to rise because people were still buried under rubble.
	Syria's military stepped up its shelling of Douma during the summer as part of its intensified battle to wrest back rebel-held towns around the capital, Damascus.
	Activists say Syria's three-year civil war has killed more than 200,000 people.

Activists: Airstrikes kill 16 in rebel Syrian town

Iraqi lawmakers have approved all of the remaining positions in Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's government, including the critical posts of defense and interior ministers amid the country's battle with the Islamic State group.
	Lawmakers today approved Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban, a Shiite lawmaker with al-Abadi's State of Law political bloc, as minister of interior. Khaled al-Obeidi, a Sunni lawmaker from the besieged city of Mosul, has been selected for the post of defense minister.
	Control over the two powerful security ministries has long been a source of tension among Iraq's feuding political factions.
	On Sept 16, Al-Abadi put forward Sunni lawmaker Jaber al-Jabberi as his candidate for defense minister and Shiite lawmaker Riyad Ghareeb as his pick for interior minister, but both were rejected by parliament.

Iraq lawmakers approve interior, defense ministers

A ban on travel from West Africa might seem like a simple and smart response to the frightening Ebola outbreak there. It's become a central demand of Republicans and some Democrats in the US Congress, and is popular with the public. But health experts are nearly unanimous in saying it's a bad idea that could backfire.
	The experts' key objection is that a travel ban could prevent needed medical supplies, food and health care workers from reaching Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the nations where the epidemic is at its worst. Without that aid, the deadly virus might spread to wider areas of Africa, making it even more of a threat to the US and the world, experts say.
	In addition, preventing people from the affected countries from travelling to other countries could be difficult to enforce and might generate counterproductive results, such as people lying about their travel history or attempting to evade screening.
	The US has not instituted a travel ban in response to a disease ...

Effectiveness of Ebola travel ban questioned

One of Thailand's most prominent scholars is the target of a criminal complaint for comments he made about a Thai king who died more than 400 years ago.
	Sulak Sivaraksa, 82, was cited by two retired senior army officers on charges of lese majeste, or insulting the monarchy. If convicted, he could be imprisoned for up to 15 years.
	In Thailand, anyone can file a lese majeste complaint with police, and the charge has frequently been used as a weapon to harass political enemies.
	The complaint, filed Thursday, comes during a period of heightened nationalism under a military-installed administration that took power in a coup in May that ousted an elected government. The new regime said that protecting the monarchy was its priority, and allocated a large budget to the military for the task, as well as instructed schools to stress patriotic themes in their curriculums.
	The role of the monarchy has come under closer scrutiny in recent years due to concerns about succession when 86-year-old 

Prominent Thai scholar faces anti-monarchy charge

An official says that at least three Afghan security force troops have been killed in a suicide car bombing in southern Afghanistan.
	Police commander Ghulam Sakhi Ghafori says two Afghan police officers and one soldier were killed today in the attack in Helmand province.
	He says six others, including one civilian and five soldiers, were wounded in the attack, which occurred on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand.
	No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Taliban have step up their attacks against both Afghan and foreign forces across the country as most international troops are preparing to withdraw at the end the year.

Taliban attack kills 3 Afghan security troops

A South Korean man involved in planning an outdoor pop concert where 16 people were killed after falling through a ventilation grate was found dead today in an apparent suicide, officials said, as doctors treated eight others facing life-threatening injuries from the disaster.
	The man, 37, an employee of the Gyeonggi Institute of Science and Technology Promotion, was found dead at around 7 am in Seongnam, the city south of Seoul where yesterday's accident occurred, said city spokesman Kim Nam-jun.
	The site of his death was not far from where 16 people watching a performance by 4Minute, a girls band that is popular across Asia, were killed when the ventilation grate they were standing on collapsed. Eleven other people were seriously injured.
	It was believed that the man, who was questioned by police yesterday night over the accident, leaped from the top of a 10-story building, police inspector Park Jeong-ju said.
	Gyeonggi Institute of Science and Technology Promotion was one of the 

S Korea concert planner found dead after 16 die

New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum said today he will testify against former teammate Chris Cairns in a perjury trial in London next year because he feels a duty "to protect the game".
     McCullum will be among as many as 12 leading cricketers who may be called to give evidence when the trial starts next October.
     Cairns won 90,000 pounds (then USD 140,000) in damages in 2012 after he sued Indian Premier League founder Lalit Modi over an accusation of match-fixing. He was later charged with one count of perjury in the case.
     In a radio interview, McCullum said he was disappointed to be further drawn into the case, but he would agree to testify given his obligations as an international cricketer.
     "I guess it's not ideal at all but you've got to protect the game," he said.
     McCullum is expected to be questioned about evidence he gave to anti-corruption investigators that was later leaked to British newspapers. In the testimony, McCullum alleged he was ...

McCullum to testify in Cairns perjury trial

Secretary of State John Kerry has opened his home to a top Chinese diplomat for two days of discussions aimed at easing tensions between the two nations.
	To kick off the talks yesterday, Kerry welcomed China's State Councillor Yang Jiechi to his house in the fancy Beacon Hill neighborhood for a dinner. A full schedule of meetings is set for today.
	Officials say the meetings are expected to focus on US-China relations and global issues. They are likely to include the threat from the Ebola virus, the Iran nuclear negotiations and North Korea as well as tensions between Washington and Beijing over protests in Hong Kong.
	Earlier this month, Kerry held talks in Washington with China's foreign minister during which they aired differences over the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
	Kerry lately has been meeting foreign officials in Boston instead of Washington. He hosted British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in Boston earlier this month.
	After his meetings with Yang on Saturday, ...

Kerry welcomes Chinese official to his Boston home

More than 1.2 billion people are living on less than USD 1.25 a day and 2.4 billion are living on less than USD 2 a day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.
	He told the UN observance of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty that at least 700 million people were lifted out of extreme poverty between 1990 and 2010 and he is determined to help UN make "poverty history."
	Since the beginning of the financial crisis in 2008, Ban said inequality has grown more pronounced and discrimination against women and girls remains "a blatant injustice." He warned that "entrenched poverty and prejudice and vast gulfs between wealth and destitution, can undermine the fabric of societies and lead to instability."
	The UN chief yesterday pointed to the Ebola crisis in West Africa, saying the disease is not only threatening health but economic progress and the inroads against poverty being made in the three hardest-hit countries, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
	The observance ...

UN chief:1.2 billion live on less than USD 1.25 a day

Facebook wants assurances from the Drug Enforcement Administration that it's not operating any more fake profile pages as part of ongoing investigations.
	Facebook's chief security officer, Joe Sullivan, said in a letter yesterday to DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart that law enforcement agencies need to follow the same rules about being truthful on Facebook as civilian users. Those rules include a ban on lying about who you are.
	Sullivan's letter was in response to a New York woman's federal lawsuit claiming that a DEA agent created a fake online persona using her name and photographs stored on her cellphone.
	In court filings, Sondra Arquiett said her pictures were retrieved from her cellphone after she was arrested in July 2010 on drug charges and her cellphone seized. Arquiett said the fake page was being used by DEA agent Timothy Sinnigen to interact with "dangerous individuals he was investigating." Arquiett is asking for USD 250,000 in damages.
	"Facebook has long made clear .

Facebook unfriends US drug agency

The former environment minister who briefly led Brazil's presidential race has thrown added support to the man who beat her for second place and a spot in a runoff election against President Dilma Rousseff.
	Marina Silva, who finished third in the first round of Brazil's presidential election, said she endorsed Aecio Neves partly due to a belief in alternation of power, an apparent reference to the nearly 12 years in power of Rousseff's Workers Party.
	Silva, who on Sunday announced her support for Neves in the October 26 runoff, said yesterday that Neves has promised to recover economic stability and to strengthen social policies such as a program that pays mothers a monthly stipend as long as they can prove that they're keeping their kids in school and giving them health checkups and immunizations.
	Silva was a late entry in the race following the death of her Socialist Party's initial candidate. For a time, she led all contenders in the polls, but finally wound up third in the ...

Ousted Brazil candidate meets, endorses challenger

Last May, as Ebola crept across West Africa, America's top infectious disease expert told a group of Harvard University students in a commencement speech to always second-guess their assumptions because "overconfidence can kill."
	Five months later in a congressional hearing room, Tom Frieden was accused of not following his own advice repeatedly assuring the US it was safe from an Ebola outbreak even as two US nurses became infected and one was allowed to board a commercial airline, each following safety protocols Frieden helped put in place.
	"By underestimating both the severity of the danger and overstating the ability of our health care system to handle Ebola cases, mistakes have been made," Rep Tim Murphy, a Republican told Frieden and other national health experts during the hearing yesterday.
	As director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Frieden, 53, had become the public face and potential scapegoat for the Ebola scare inside the United States.
	Today, ...

Quiet 'whiz kid' now public face of Ebola fight

Anger stemming from a 30-year-old religious clash in India that left thousands dead has crept into one of the closest congressional races in the country.
	Some Sikh political activists and the California Republican Party are campaigning against Democratic Congressman Ami Bera, saying he refuses to acknowledge the alleged involvement of the Indian government in the anti-Sikh rioting in 1984.
	Bera, a physician representing a suburban Sacramento district, is the only Indian-American in Congress.
	Other Sikh leaders dismiss the opposition as a fringe group that doesn't represent their religious community. They praise Bera, a freshman lawmaker and Unitarian, as a valuable advocate for all South Asians.
	The race between Bera and Republican Doug Ose is expected to be razor thin, so even a small-scale revolt from within a single ethnic community could help tilt the election.

1984 anti-Sikh riots in India is issue in California race

Russian and Ukrainian leaders sounded optimistic after marathon, Europe-brokered talks today, signaling progress on both a definitive peace settlement in Ukraine and a gas dispute that threatens to disrupt supplies to Europe this winter.
	While Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko stopped short of declaring a breakthrough, they both spoke with renewed confidence.
	Putin offered praise for Poroshenko's move to give more powers to the east and supported the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe monitoring of the truce with drones.
	Putin also voiced confidence that the issue of Russians who have joined the insurgency in eastern Ukraine could be settled.
	Both leaders said they reached consent on the basic guidelines of a gas deal to prevent possible supply disruptions in the winter.
	The sticking point remains financing, and Putin indicated that the EU should pick up the tab. "We expect our European partners to offer help to ...

Ukrainian, Russian leaders sound optimistic note

Iraq imposed a curfew in the western city of Ramadi today amid fears that the Islamic State group was looking to advance on the strategically important city as attacks in Baghdad killed 21 people, officials said.
	The curfew, which began before dawn, is part of an effort to limit movement in and out of the city as government forces prepared to combat pockets of resistance there, said Sabah Karhout, the chairman of the Anbar provincial council.
	Ramadi, the capital of the vast Sunni-dominated province of Anbar, is located 115 kilometres (70 miles) west of Baghdad.
	The Islamic State group has in recent weeks been making gains against the embattled Iraqi military around Ramadi despite ongoing, US-led coalition airstrikes on the militants.
	Capturing Ramadi could have a huge ripple effect throughout Anbar, since controlling the provincial capital ultimately paralyses the surrounding areas and further helps the militants secure yet another corridor between Syria and Iraq for the passage ..

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