Last year's runner-up Robin Haase of the Netherlands defeated Dominic Thiem 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in front of the Austrian's home crowd at the Erste Bank Open yesterday.
     The 72nd-ranked Haase, who has won both his career titles in Austria, lost serve in the opening game but had two breaks to take the first set.
     The eighth-seeded Thiem, whose breakthrough season has seen him rise to No. 38, leveled the score with one break in the second but failed to recover from dropping 4-1 behind in the final set.
     "I was just too weak today," the 38th-ranked Thiem said. "It's bitter to lose in front of your home crowd but Robin played very solid. He hasn't got the fastest serve but I couldn't read them and missed a lot of returns."
     Haase, who was beaten for the title by Tommy Haas last year, next takes on Benjamin Becker of Germany, who rallied to defeat Victor Hanescu of Romania 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.
     Two-time former champion Jurgen Melzer came from a set and a service break down to defeat 

Haase defeats 8th-seeded Thiem in 3 sets in Vienna

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The UN human rights has chief warned that civil society, bloggers and professionals in Libya face a "climate of fear" created by warring militias whose clashes left 17 dead in western region.
	Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein says his agency has received numerous reports of assaults targeting rights advocates in Libya including murder, abduction and death threats. Many have fled or suspended their work.
	The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights yesterday said in a statement that the attacks amount to "war crimes." He said perpetrators benefit from "total impunity" for such attacks and threaten Libya's few independent voices.
	In one incident last month, two well-known activists were among 10 people killed in eastern Benghazi.
	Violence and rivalries have deeply split Libya, which has fallen into chaos since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
	Militias mostly from the coastal city of Misrata and allied to Islamist political factions took control of the capital ..

UN rights chief: Libyan civil society under threat

About a dozen imams from mosques in all five of New York City's boroughs have gathered to denounce violent extremist acts around the world.
	At a press conference today on the steps of City Hall, the president of the Islamic Leadership Council of Metropolitan New York said that Islamic law forbids violent terrorist acts.
	Imam Al-Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid also said that his group would start an initiative to combat extremist thinking. That effort will include online posts countering propaganda and partnerships with groups that balance public safety with respect for constitutional rights.
	Abdur-Rashid also said that on Friday, mosques throughout New York will hold simultaneous sermons denouncing extremism. He also said next month his group will sponsor open houses at various mosques citywide.

Imams in NYC denounce violent extremism

An Egyptian court has sentenced seven Islamic militants all but one in absentia to death over the killing of 25 soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula last year.
	Today's decision focused on chief suspect Adel Habarra. The decision is to be reviewed by the country's grand Mufti, whose opinion is consultative.
	A final ruling is scheduled to be issued on December 6.
	The attack last year saw Islamic militants ambush two minibuses carrying off-duty policemen in a broad daylight near the border town of Rafah, days after security forces killed nearly 1,000 people in a crackdown on sprawling protest camps in Cairo by supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.
	A month earlier, the military overthrew Morsi after mass demonstrations demanding his resignation.

Egypt condemns 7 to death over soldiers' killing

Chrysler is recalling 184,215 SUVs worldwide because a wiring problem could disable their air bags and seat belt pretensioners.
	The recall involves the 2014 model year Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee. Most are in the US, but 57,443 SUVs are in Canada, Mexico and elsewhere.
	Chrysler says a short circuit in the restraint control module could cause the air bag warning lamps to illuminate. If that happens, the air bags and seat belt pretensioners may not work. Pretensioners tighten belts during a crash to hold occupants in place.
	Chrysler says it's unaware of any injuries related to the problem.
	Ford recalled 850,000 vehicles last month for the same issue. Both companies used restraint control modules made by auto supplier Bosch.
	Chrysler dealers will replace the modules for free.

Chrysler recalls 184,215 SUVs for air bag defect

An Iraqi police official says a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into a security checkpoint in northern Baghdad, killing at least 19 people, including civilians.
	The attack happened today in Baghdad's Shiite-majority Khazimiyah district. The official says at least six police officers were among the dead. Another 35 people were wounded. Hospital officials confirmed the casualties. All officials spoke anonymously as they are not authorized to brief the media.
	A series of attacks on Shiite-majority neighborhoods in Baghdad on yesterday killed 44 people.

Iraq: Suicide car bomb in Baghdad kills 19

With differences still unresolved and the deadline for a deal nearing, Iran and the US have a choice to make: Extend nuclear talks for a second time or face the risk of renewed confrontation and armed conflict.
	US Secretary of State John Kerry meets tomorrow in Vienna with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to try and advance the talks and meet the target date of November 24. But with less than six weeks left until November 24, there may be no alternative to prolonging them.
	Iran denies wanting nuclear weapons. But if the talks fail, Tehran will return to expanding programs that could be turned from peaceful purposes to making such arms. That in turn could revive the chance of a new Middle East conflict through attacks by Israel and possibly the US.
	The Americans insist the focus remains on sealing a deal by the end of the current four-month extension, but refuse to rule out that they will continue past November 24. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said ...

Analysis: Iran nuclear talks extension possible

Thailand's Cabinet today approved a ban on the import of hookah-style water pipes and electronic cigarettes, copying a similar move by neighboring Cambodia earlier this year.
	Deputy government spokesman Maj Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the ban proposed by the Commerce Ministry was imposed for health reasons. The Public Health Ministry originally suggested the move, saying the items were luring young people into smoking.
	The ban also applies to substances that could be used to flavor the water used in the water pipes, also called baraku in Thailand. The use of baraku is still legal in areas where smoking is allowed. Those violating the ban face a maximum jail term of 10 years or a fine of five times the product's value, or both.
	Cambodia in February banned the import, sale and promotion of e-cigarettes and shisha tobacco, a favorite of hookah-using smokers.
	In the United States, at least 27 states have passed legislation prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes to minors. Advocates of .

Thailand bans import of water pipes, e-cigarettes

Oscar Pistorius offered USD 34,000 to the family of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp after he killed her, but the family rejected the funds because they did not want "blood money," a prosecutor said today at the sentencing hearing for the double-amputee athlete.
	Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel also referred to separate payments of USD 550 that the Pistorius camp apparently made on a monthly basis to Steenkamp's family, but said those would be paid back in full.
	The revelations emerged while Nel was cross-examining a social worker who testified that Pistorius should be placed under house arrest, rather than sent to prison, after his conviction for culpable homicide, or negligent killing.
	Social worker Annette Vergeer, one of four witnesses called by the defense, said South African jails are violent and overcrowded and that the athlete would be under particular duress because of his disability and fragile mental state resulting from the night when he fired four times through a toilet door in ..

Prosecutor: Pistorius offered cash after killing

Yemen's president appointed a diplomat and former oil minister as prime minister after securing backing of Islamists as well as Shiite rebels who control the capital, a move welcomed by the UN Security Council which called for the new government to implement a roadmap to peace and democracy.
	The appointment of Khaled Bahah yesterday, Yemen's ambassador to the United Nations, is part of a peace deal brokered by the United Nations after Shiite Houthi rebels swept through the capital Sanaa and took over army barracks, ministries and vital state institutions last month.
	Their takeover came amid increasing terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which the Security Council condemned.
	Bahah will have 30 days to form a government in the restive Arabian Peninsula nation after rival political groups gave their backing to his selection by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, state media reported.
	Under terms of the UN deal, Hadi was to appoint a new prime minister ..

Shiite rebels back choice of new Yemen premier

Clashes broke out today between demonstrators and police in front of Ukraine's parliament in Kiev as deputies inside repeatedly voted down proposals to recognise a contentious World War II-era Ukrainian partisan group as national heroes.
	Thousands of Svoboda nationalist party supporters rallied earlier in the capital in celebration of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, whose struggle for independence for Ukraine was tainted by its collaboration with the Nazis.
	Later, masked men attacked and threw smoke grenades at lines of police outside parliament as lawmakers met inside. The Interior Ministry said 36 people were detained by police. Svoboda said its members were not responsible for the unrest, which police said was orchestrated by a small group of people at the rally.
	The unrest overshadowed the passage of laws the government hopes will contain the galloping corruption that has long hindered Ukraine's sclerotic economy. President Petro Poroshenko urged lawmakers to keep up the fight ...

Clashes erupt outside Ukraine's parliament in Kiev

Romania's outgoing president has claimed that the prime minister and leading candidate for the presidency is a former spy.
	President Traian Basescu said late yesterday in a television interview that Prime Minister Victor Ponta had been an undercover officer for Romania's Foreign Intelligence Service from 1997 to 2001 when he was a prosecutor.
	Ponta, 42, immediately rejected the accusation as "all lies."
	Basescu, who as president appoints the chiefs of the two main intelligence services, did not produce evidence. He said, however, that Ponta's rapid career advancement from a district prosecutor's office to the general prosecutor's office was due to his links to the spy service. He said it was inappropriate to be both a prosecutor and a spy.
	Basescu is a political rival of Ponta's but will not run in the election and steps down next month after 10 years.
	It is the latest twist involving Romania's influential intelligence services. Last month, the head of foreign intelligence Teodor 

Romanian president accuses PM of being an ex-spy

Dozens of activists burned a mock US flag as they protested at the US Embassy in Manila on today, demanding that Washington hand over to the Philippines a US Marine suspected in the killing of a transgender Filipino that the demonstrators labeled a hate crime.
	Jeffrey Laude, 26, was found dead, apparently strangled and drowned, beside a toilet bowl in a motel room in Olongapo city, northwest of Manila, shortly after he checked in late Saturday, allegedly with a Marine.
	Police said they have identified the Marine suspect with the help of a key witness. Authorities will file a murder complaint against him with prosecutors on Wednesday, national police spokesman Wilben Mayor said.
	US Marine spokesman Col Brad Bartelt said a Marine was being held on board the USS Peleliu in the Subic Bay free port, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Manila, in connection with a joint US Navy and Philippine police investigation into Laude's death.
	About 3,000 US Marines and Navy sailors ...

Protesters demand Philippine custody of US Marine

Major water conservancy projects and other infrastructure investment will help ensure China meets its economic growth target of 7.5 per cent for the year, the country's top economic planner said today.
	Director General Li Pumin of the National Development and Reform Commission told reporters that measures to stimulate consumption and halt a decline in investment would start having an effect in the final quarter of the year.
	"I am confident we can achieve the annual growth target," Li said.
	China's urban fixed-asset investment grew 16.5 per cent in the first eight months of 2014 from the same period last year.
	That was down half a percentage point from the first six months of the year, largely as a result of slowdowns in real estate development and manufacturing, Li said.
	Fixed-asset investment contributes about 50 per cent of annual economic growth in China, so even a slight drop-off is seen as worrisome.
	Li said the decline should be offset by progress in ongoing water ...

China planner says economy meeting growth target

A World Health Organisation official says there could be up to 10,000 new cases of Ebola per week within two months.
	WHO assistant director-general Dr. Bruce Aylward says if the response to the Ebola crisis isn't stepped up within 60 days, "a lot more people will die" and there will be a huge need on the ground to deal with the spiraling numbers of cases.
	He said WHO estimated there could up to 10,000 cases per week in two months.
	Aylward said for the last four weeks, there have been about 1,000 new cases per week, though that figure includes suspected, confirmed and probable cases.
	He said WHO is aiming to have 70 per cent of cases isolated within two months to reverse the outbreak.
	WHO increased its Ebola death toll tally to 4,447, nearly all of them in West Africa, and the group said the number of probable and suspected cases was 8,914.
	Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia have been hardest hit.
	Aylward said WHO was very concerned about the continued spread of Ebola in the three 

WHO: 10,000 new Ebola cases per week could be seen

An official with a Chinese engineering firm says four people were ambushed and killed after leaving a company office in central Jamaica.
	Zhong Dong Tang is a regional director with China Harbour Engineering Company, which is working on a major highway project on the Caribbean island.
	In a statement yesterday, he said four people were "senselessly gunned down" on Sunday shortly after leaving the company's site office in the town of Linstead. The Chinese company is vowing to work with police to bring the killers to justice.
	A spokeswoman says the victims were Jamaican nationals. Police officials did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
	In a report on global homicides released earlier this year, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime listed Jamaica as having the world's sixth highest homicide rate.

In Jamaica, 4 killed after leaving Chinese company

Nearly 50 people were arrested during a large rally in the Missouri city where protesters have been unremitting since an unarmed 18-year-old black man was fatally shot by a police officer.
	Clergy members yesterday led several hundred people on a march, using a bullhorn to read the names of people killed by police across the US, marking the third straight day of recent protests in the St Louis suburb where Michael Brown was fatally shot on August 9 by a white police officer.
	Tensions escalated last week when a white police officer in St Louis shot and killed 18-year-old Vonderrit Myers Jr, who police say shot at police before he was killed.
	Ferguson Police spokesman Tim Zoll said about 42 people were arrested at the Ferguson Police Station. Six others were later arrested for failing to disperse after blocking a street.
	Protesters also blocked the entrance to a major employer, held a loud rally inside St Louis City Hall, disrupted business at a Ferguson shopping centre and a ...

Nearly 50 arrested in protest over US shootings

British lawmakers have voted in favor of recognizing Palestine as a state, a symbolic move intended to increase pressure for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
	Legislators in the House of Commons voted 274 to 12 to support a motion calling on the British government to "recognize the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel."
	Prime Minister David Cameron and other government leaders abstained, and more than half of the 650 Commons members did not participate in the vote.
	But the motion had support from both government and opposition lawmakers, who said it could help kick-start the peace process following a summer war in Gaza that claimed the lives of more than 2,100 Palestinians, the majority civilians, and more than 70 Israelis, most of them soldiers.
	Labour Party legislator Grahame Morris said recognizing a Palestinian state could help break the impasse in peace negotiations before it was too late.
	Otherwise, he said, "any hope of a two-state ...

UK Parliament votes to recognize Palestinian state

Two gunmen shoved their way into a radio studio and opened fire on a local activist, killing him while he was broadcasting, prosecutors in the Mexican state of Sinaloa said. It was the first on-air killing in recent memory in Mexico.
	Listeners heard the gunshot that killed Atilano Roman Tirado, who had a weekly radio program as well as leading a group of farm families displaced by a dam.
	"On air you could hear when the shot is fired, and then one of the co-workers is heard saying, 'Oh no, he killed him, he killed him,'" station director Sergio Ontiveros said yesterday.
	"That is when the transmission cut off ... The station operator dove to the floor and kicked out the master" cable, Ontiveros said.
	The Fiesta Mexicana station in the Pacific coast city of Mazatlan was off air for about a half hour, and was operated remotely over the weekend before resuming normal operations on Monday morning.
	Roman Tirado was a leader of about 800 families demanding compensation for being ...

Mexican activist slain during radio broadcast

The Dutch government says Ukrainian searchers have recovered belongings including passports, luggage, jewelry and children's toys from the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.
	The Security and Justice Ministry said in a statement that 40 members of the Ukrainian disaster response agency participated in a new round of searching at the wreckage site in Eastern Ukraine Monday. Four Dutch officials and an OSCE team were also present.
	Eight forensic experts will fly to Ukraine to examine the belongings before they are returned to the Netherlands.
	All 298 people on board were killed when the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur broke up on July 17. An initial report said it was hit from outside by multiple high energy objects, which some aviation experts say is consistent with a missile strike.

Ukrainians recover belongings of MH17 victims

Police in southern Mexico shot and wounded a German university student in a reported case of mistaken identity, prosecutors said today.
	His school, the Monterrey Institute of Technology, said in a Twitter post that he was in stable condition and expected to recover, though it did not release his name.
	The man was in a van with other students two Germans, two French and six Mexicans traveling back from Acapulco and passing through the Guerrero state capital of Chilpancingo just after a confrontation between police and kidnappers that killed one officer.
	Police tried to stop the van, believing it was suspicious. Police said they opened fire when they heard something that sounded like shot or detonation, said Victor Leon Maldonado of the Guerrero state prosecutor's office.
	The students kept driving, fearing that armed men might be trying to kidnap them, state prosecutor Inaky Blanco said.
	The German student was shot in the buttocks. Maldonado told reporters in a press conference ...

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